


Cold as Ice

by oikadont



Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Levi Needs a Hug, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Burn, are we even surprised, bear with me it’ll be good, levi runs a secret rebel legion, like slow burn as hellllllllll, possibly smut at some point idk yet, really so much angst like calm down guys we’re trying to sleep here, so does eren tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21582004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oikadont/pseuds/oikadont
Summary: Eren Yeager has finally gotten what he’s always wanted. He’s finished his training and has officially been named a member of the Scout Regiment. He’s admired these brave soldiers that could go beyond the wall his entire life and through them, he may finally be able to seek vengeance for his parents’ deaths. And then he meets Captain Levi Ackerman, a hard man with obscene fighting prowess. Once his idol and now a constant source of annoyance, Levi forces Eren to prove his place among the scouts and eventually ropes him in for an adventure he’d never even dreamt of.A/N I’m literally AWFUL at summaries. I promise it’ll be better than I made it sound.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Just a few things before we take off.
> 
> 1: this is the first fic I’ve ever published. This whole thing has been a collection of ideas in my brain for months now and I just have to get them out of my head  
> 2: this is set in a VERY similar universe to canon but there are NO titans. The scouts are more an elite set of soldiers entrusted to maintain peace within the city, with other nations, and conduct special missions outside of the walls. It’ll all make sense when you read I promise.  
> 3: Just gonna address the whole underage thing real quick: I’m assuming since you’re here this probably does not bother you but for the sake of my own conscience, I feel like I should note that Eren is 20 by the time this fic begins and Levi is 33. Training is 5 years and they started at 15. Everyone is legal so please don’t come for me. Underage is not my thing, but the age gap IS relevant eventually.  
> 4: Any canon deaths are irrelevant. I kill characters on my terms smh.  
> 5: This story is going to be told from a good handful of different POV’s. Mostly Eren and Levi, but I’m not going to tell the POV at the change just because I prefer fics that way. If it gets confusing, leave a comment and I’ll change that!  
> 6: Last thing! This chapter is going to be A LOT of world building and character building. Not a ton of dialogue but bear with me, it’s important information to know if you want to understand the rest of the world dynamic.  
> Alright I think that’s it! Please enjoy!

Eren was practically vibrating with excitement. He’d done it. He was finally a member of the Scout Regiment. He was going to go outside of the walls and fight for his kingdom and for justice.

Eren looked around the back of the big covered wagon he rode in at all of his comrades. Some of the faces were unfamiliar - unmistakably seasoned members of the Scouts, in their dazzling emerald cloaks with the Wings of Freedom proudly emblazoned on the back, here to escort them to the Scout’s base. The rest of the faces, though, were like fond memories imprinted on his brain. They’d spent years together, working their asses off to get onto this crude wagon and into those cloaks. Armin smiled at him half-heartedly as Eren caught his eye. The boy was anxious, like a lot of the people on the wagon and it was honestly justified.

“Eren how the hell are you so excited right now? We’re being sent to our fucking deaths probably and you’re practically bouncing off the walls,” Jean shouted with a scowl from across the cart.

“This is what we’ve spent five years training for. Our time wasn’t wasted! We’re going to keep the people of this kingdom safe and that makes me incredibly excited, Horseface,” Eren launched back at him.

Their escorts looked at him with raised eyebrows and whispered briefly to each other with a chuckle. Jean rolled his eyes at Eren and said, “Oh come on, you know what we got ourselves into. You’re probably going to be the first one of us to die.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Eren could see Mikasa giving Jean a look that could probably chop him to pieces but she said nothing. Even Eren had to admit, though, joining the Scouts was not something for the light of heart. Of the three core military branches, it was the most dangerous. It sported just over three hundred members, but with every mission they were sent on, that number would dwindle. They were the only branch graced with the ability to go outside of the walls and that was the most dangerous place on the planet. Fierce bandit groups ran rampant throughout the desert and even the kingdom’s most elite would be given a run for their money when put up against a band of them. Besides protecting the nation from bandit raids, the Scouts fulfilled a myriad of responsibilities from meeting and maintaining peace with other kingdoms to keeping order within the walls when they were home to do so. Matters within the walls were meant to be handled by the Military Police, but the branch was so corrupt at this point that it was more likely that their members were actively engaging in the crime than putting a stop to it. Eren wished that they’d just do away with the branch altogether but there were too many powerful people involved in the Military Police for the government to put a stop to it. The Garrison were of little help to them either, strictly charged with protecting the castle grounds and guarding the wall. They weren’t useful unless there was an emergency, so the Scouts picked up everyone else’s slack.

If it wasn’t the people they had to deal with that killed scouts, it was most definitely the conditions they had to endure when on missions outside of the walls. The kingdom was placed directly in the center of a harsh desert. The conditions were unforgiving and a few days trekking through endless sand was enough to make any man go mad. If any part of a mission went awry, it was unlikely that there would be any survivors and if the mission was not perfectly planned down to the most minute detail, everyone’s lives would be at stake. So yes, joining the Scouts was a risky decision, but it was one that Eren was happy to make if it meant putting a stop to the people that fucked up his life and keeping others from enduring the same.

Eren made a face at Jean but ultimately decided that he’d rather be looking out the cloth flap at the base as they entered it than arguing with the other boy. He stared in awe as the great watch towers came into view and they eventually passed through the gates. He couldn’t stop his mouth from opening a bit at the sight of the massive officer’s building and rows upon rows of dormitories. He’d learned that it wasn’t required that the Scout’s live on base once they became a part of the regiment and many of the wealthier ones didn’t, but a large chunk of soldiers would not pass up the free housing. Many soldiers were very poor folk, coming from the farthest outskirts of the kingdom and using their skills honed from a life on the streets and manual labor to earn themselves a place in the military. It was a well paying job and with free housing and low cost meals, many found the dangers of the occupation to be worth it if they could make it through the five years of training. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin would be sharing a dorm since they were a few of those poorer soldiers. They had no home except for each other to go back to when they were done with their day’s work, but they were just fine with that. The fact that they didn’t need to sleep out on the streets was just an added bonus of the job.

Eren couldn’t exactly tell where the base started or ended which excited him even more. He’d heard their campus was large, but this was ridiculous. He couldn’t even tell what buildings and areas were for anymore and he couldn’t wait to explore every inch.

The wagon came to a grinding halt in what Eren assumed must be the epicenter of the base. They were just outside of the officer’s building where every commanding officer’s office was held and official business was completed. The building looked a bit bigger than was probably necessary, but Eren didn’t question it as he eagerly hopped out of the covered wagon and into the quickly fading daylight. He and the other fifty or so cadets lined up at attention at the sight of the commanding officers stood at the front of the building. Eren gave them a once over. It was mostly captains, Eren noticed. Commander Erwin Smith apparently did not wish to grace them with his presence but Eren didn’t really care. He hadn’t been expecting a welcome from the officials at all, not deeming their arrival worthy.

A handful of the officials were vaguely familiar. He’d either caught sight of them passing briefly through the training camp to pass a message on to Shadis or watched them in awe as a child as they left or returned from a mission. At least half of them were unfamiliar, though. Many of the faces looked very friendly, one carrying a soft, welcoming smile and another holding a rather eccentric one he thought. It wasn’t unkind, though.

As Eren’s eyes skittered over their faces, he halted when a painfully familiar one came into view. He could recognize that man from a mile away. Captain Levi Ackerman was stood in front of them, looking like he definitely had better things to do. He was rather short compared to his comrades and his black hair had an undercut. He crossed his arms and looked incredibly disinterested and cold as his storm grey eyes wandered over the faces of the recruits. They stopped on Eren though, clearly having caught him staring. Captain Levi’s expression did not change at the discovery. If anything, he looked even icier than before and paused for only a moment before continuing his assessment.

Eren breathed out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief and looked away. The man was terrifying, he’d give him that. That wasn’t what drew Eren’s eye, though. He’d been the young man’s hero since he was a child. Eren had heard hundreds of stories about the great captain, known by the citizens as Humanity’s Strongest. The man had won countless battles and had the most incredible fighting prowess in the entire nation, if not the world. He’d inspired Eren for years to join the scouts.

Eren had seen him at the training camp plenty of times. Commander Smith would send him personally to observe the most recent recruits and check their progress at least every few months. Eren wasn’t entirely sure why Commander Smith didn’t just trust the word of the people actually training them but he wouldn’t complain about an opportunity to show off his skills to the captain. His visits never seemed to go beyond just watching the cadets with an impassive or disdainful look, but at least he was watching.

The eccentric looking one stepped out in front of the crowd of soldiers and with a wide grin shouted, “Hello new recruits! Welcome to the Scout Regiment base, we are thrilled to have your company! My name is Dr. Hanji Zoë and I am the medical captain and welcoming committee of our fine establishment! These are my comrades, Petra Ral,” the kind looking one waved a bit, “...Gunther Schultz, Eld Gin, Mike Zacharias, and our resident grump, Levi Ackerman.” All but Levi gave some form of acknowledgement.

Dr. Zoë continued, “Each of them are captains, meaning they will eventually be your squad leaders, once we have found your place. Now! I’ll have your little escorts there show you to your dorms for the night. Don’t get comfy though! Those of you who will be returning to your homes after your orientation is complete will obviously have no need to do so and for those of you who will now be calling our little patch of heaven home will be relocating tomorrow evening. That will be your permanent residence. If you’re hungry, I’m sure there are still a few scraps left down at the mess tent and breakfast is at 6:00am sharp! Have a lovely evening and we’ll see you tomorrow!” They flashed another bright smile and waved at the party, before leading the officials back into the gigantic building.

“They seem... nice...” Eren heard Armin whisper to him as they followed the pair of soldiers to the dorms.

“A little high energy but yeah I guess so,” Eren replied, taking note as their escorts pointed out the communal baths.

When they finally reached their dorms and were allowed inside, Eren all but collapsed on the bed. For now, he, Armin, and Mikasa would share a bed before they were given their final room, large enough for three small beds, a little fire place, and kitchenette. Eren was still buzzing, despite the exhaustion he knew he should be feeling by now. Their journey was long and started before dawn, having to ride all the way across the kingdom, but Eren didn’t even feel hungry, let alone tired.

He encouraged his companions to go get some food without him, but they refused, simply wanting to sleep as much as they could before their early morning. Eren was awake long past when Mikasa and Armin fell asleep, and after finally growing too restless to stand it, pried himself carefully out of the blankets and into the crisp, night air.

He was going to explore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to whoever left kudos after the first chapter! Hopefully you all enjoy this one! :)

It was chilly outside but Eren hardly felt it. He tended to run rather hot and he hiked his pant legs up above his knees and sleeves up to his shoulders so the air could meet skin. As Eren began to amble towards the mess tent, he looked up at the sky. It was easy to see millions of stars and the moon shone bright, lighting his path with the help of an occasional torch. He deduced by the position of the moon that it was probably past one o’clock in the morning and he sighed. He was sure to be tired tomorrow.

The mess tent was a short walk from his room and he pushed past the heavy, fabric material that made up the entrance. His hunger had started to catch up with him a while ago and he hoped to find some bread or something before he wandered off around the camp. The tent was eerily dark, the moonlight not being able to enter and the torches unlit and Eren squinted and strained his eyes to see. His attempt at quietly making it to the adjoined kitchen building proved horribly unsuccessful as he banged his knee directly into a wooden table and knocked over a chair as he tumbled to the ground.

He’d hit the table hard and scraped it in his attempt to get away from the offending object. As he regained his bearings, he could feel blood beginning to seep from the wound. Apparently, he’d torn skin. Oh well, he thought, can’t be that bad. I’ll sort it out when I get back. He began to rise, hissing in pain as his knee straightened out, and righted the fallen chair. Then his head snapped up as he noticed a torch light up.

A figure was walking towards him from the far back of the tent and Eren couldn’t help but put a hand on the hilt of the knife he kept strapped at his hip. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light and the figure drew closer, he felt the color drain from his face as he realized just who he’d alerted. Captain Levi strode towards him with purpose, a scowl planted firmly on his face. Eren saluted immediately, assuming that he was probably in trouble and should be on his best behavior.

“What the hell are you doing here at this hour?” Levi said, annoyance blanketing his voice.

Eren struggled to find words for a moment before forcing out, “I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t sleep and hadn’t eaten.”

Levi lit the torch nearest them and planted himself directly in front of Eren, arms crossed. “Our cooks don’t run a 24 hour kitchen. If you want a fucking midnight snack, you won’t be finding it here. It’s past curfew anyway you shouldn’t even be out here, don’t you know that?”

“I just arrived tonight, sir. I did not know,” Eren replied, growing annoyed himself. Curfew? They were the nation’s best soldiers not children, why the fuck did they need a curfew.

Levi squinted at the younger man before replying, “Ah you’re one of the brats. I actually think I recognize you from my observations. You’re the one that fought dirty.”

Eren couldn’t help the little bit of pride he felt upon finding out that Levi recognized him from his fighting. “I’m from the streets, Captain. Fighting dirty is what keeps us alive.”

Levi quirked an eyebrow at Eren but didn’t reply. “What’s your name, cadet?” he asked instead.

“Eren Jaeger,” the younger replied, standing tall.

Levi’s eyes flicked down to Eren’s knee, which was bleeding quite a bit more than Eren had thought it was, and the captain sighed. “Fucks sake kid, you really thought it was a good idea to go wandering around the mess tent in the dark? Why didn’t you light a torch?”

“Didn’t have a way to light them.”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes for a moment before saying, “If all of you are like this I’m going to retire early,” he threw a handkerchief at the brown haired boy and started walking towards the exit. “Come on, brat. And keep that on your knee. I don’t need you tracking blood all over my clean floors.”

Eren hurriedly tied the handkerchief around his leg and limped after Levi. The man walked briskly back out into the yard and in the direction of the officer’s building. Eren furrowed his brows in concern. Where was he taking him? Probably to yell at him and dish out some kind of punishment for breaking the curfew rule. Eren hadn’t even been there for 24 hours yet and he’d gotten himself in trouble with one of the most powerful people on the base. He mustered up his courage and asked Levi where he was taking him.

Levi did not grace him with a reply. If Eren didn’t know better, he would have guessed that the captain didn’t hear him at all and not wanting to press his luck, clamped his mouth shut and continued struggling to keep up.

When they nearly reached the steps of the officer’s building, Eren couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, are we going into the officer’s building?” The building was large and looked far too important for Eren to even dream of stepping inside at 2am with a profusely bleeding knee. This building was for official business.

Levi ignored him once more as he put a key in the door and unlocked it. He pushed inside and nearly disappeared before Eren even had time to make it through the door. As much as he would have liked to have admired the architecture and decor, the boy didn’t have time to so much as glance around without risking losing Levi in the maze of hallways and even if he did have the time, the building was barely lit with the occasional, dim kerosene lamp.

Eventually, they came upon a stair case and Eren grimaced at the thought of hauling his busted knee up a flight of stairs, but it was hardly the worst thing that he’d ever been through. Fortunately, Levi did not force him up a second flight, instead choosing to stride down the hallway and finally stop at another locked door. He unlocked the door with another key from his ring and jiggled the handle a bit before it would open. Eren followed him inside, still confused as to what he was doing in this building in the first place. Had Levi brought him here to give him some sort of write up for misconduct? They’d written cadets up often during their training so that they could dole out punishments later.

The room was surprisingly large and clearly an office of some sort. A big, dark oak desk sat at the head of the room, in front of a window. On top of it sat a kerosene lamp, two neat stacks of paper, and a quill and ink set. Several filing cabinets lined the walls and in a corner adjacent to the desk was a small leather sofa with a pillow sitting perfectly atop it. A matching leather chair for visitors needing to be near the desk sat perfectly centered and pushed in to it’s other side. The only other adornment to the room was an oval rug adorning the scout’s green and gold, that lay perfectly centered on the floor. Eren couldn’t help but think that the room looked as though it had never been touched by a human before and he practically tiptoed inside, not wanting to disturb anything.

Levi wandered over to the desk and turned up the lamp, illuminating the room in a strong, but warm light and ventured around the desk, pulling open a drawer. “Is this your office, Captain?” Eren asked from where he stood, barely even through the doorway.

Again, the dark haired man ignored his subordinate’s question, instead ordering him to sit on the desk in a cool, even tone.

Eren did as he was told, confused as to why he was sitting on the desk and not on the perfectly good chair right in front of him. Then he saw the first aid kit in Levi’s hands as he came back around the desk. “Oh I can patch myself up, sir. You don’t have to-“

“You really don’t seem like the type to properly care for an injury and I don’t need you getting an infection on your first day here,” Levi said, taking a seat in the leather chair and setting another handkerchief over his knee before pulling the boys foot to rest on top of it.

Eren glared at him when the man’s attention was turned towards the ever bleeding knee. I’m not a fucking child. First curfews and now this? I thought I was a soldier, he thought. The man didn’t appear to notice the younger’s annoyance, as he poured alcohol onto a cotton pad and unceremoniously drug it across the ruined flesh. Eren let out a hiss at the unnecessary amount of force that was put into the cleaning and the sting of the alcohol. Levi gave him a glare before tossing the cotton into a nearby bin and pulling another cotton pad out of the box and placing it over the scrape. Eren had to admit, he’d really done a number on himself and it probably did need a proper wrapping.

Levi began wrapping gauze around the pad and Eren took the opportunity of his distraction to properly get a look at him. There were circles under his eyes that looked more like bruises and his mouth was set in a tight line. The man looked tired; like he hadn’t slept in days and Eren wondered if maybe he hadn’t.

“If I’m not meant to be out right now then why were you? If anyone should be getting their beauty rest right now shouldn’t it be Humanity’s Strongest?” Eren asked.

“You ask a lot of questions,” Levi said, not looking up from Eren’s knee.

Eren figured he’d definitely overstepped his bounds and clipped out an “I’m sorry,” before shutting his mouth.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” Eren thought he saw Levi’s lips quirk up just the slightest bit in amusement as he said it and Eren furrowed his brows. If it’s not a bad thing, then why the fuck won’t you answer any of them?

Levi finished his work before Eren could pester him any further and freed the boy’s leg. “There,” he said as he stood, “Now get the hell out of my office and go to bed for Christ’s sake.”

Eren looked at him in confusion. Where was the write up? The yelling? “Did you only bring me here to patch up my knee?” he asked incredulously.

“Obviously. What did you think I brought you up here for?” Levi replied, as if he was speaking to the biggest moron on the planet.

“But- aren’t you going to write me up or something? Dole out some sort of punishment for breaking curfew?” As Eren said it, he wondered if he should’ve just kept his mouth shut. The captain had probably forgotten about his slip up and was going to let him go without reprimand and Eren had just ruined it by reminding him.

Levi kept that carefully maintained straight face and said, “Eren, I’m not going to punish you for breaking a rule you didn’t know about. I’m not exactly friendly but I’m not cruel. Hanji should have told you all about it before they set you free anyway. But I don’t exactly think they expected any of you to be energized enough to be awake that long.”

Eren opened his mouth and then shut it again like a fish. Levi was going to just set him free. After keeping him awake and away from whatever probably important duty he’d been attending to in the first place, Eren was going to walk out of there with nothing but a perfectly wrapped knee to say for it. If anything, Eren had expected the captain to use the curfew rule as an excuse to get back at the boy for interrupting him. The man had acted so coldly towards him that it would hardly be surprising.

Levi shook his head at his subordinate, who had just been staring at him for at least ten seconds now. “Go back to your room before I change my mind, kid. And you’d better not be late for breakfast in the morning because you decided to go on a late night stroll.”

Eren nodded and sprung up from the desk, careful not to displace any of the objects on top of it and quickly walked to the door. “Oh and Eren?” The boy stopped, hand on the knob, and turned towards the captain once more. Levi pulled a large, bright red apple from his pocket and tossed it to the younger. “Don’t skip meals,” he finished.

Eren nodded again before finishing his escape and stopping a little ways down the hall to inspect the apple in his hand. It was pristine and a variety that was very hard to come by there. It had to be imported from a kingdom far away. Eren had only tried them once before, when he’d stolen three from a merchants cart as it traveled towards the capital where all the rich people lived. He, Armin, and Mikasa had tried them together and he remembered the crisp, sweet flavor and the way his companions had beamed at him as they took a bite. This one must have been terribly expensive. And Levi had just given it to him like it was a piece of bread.

Eren’s stomach growled and he bit into it, continuing his trek out of the building. It was just as sweet and delicious as he remembered and he marveled in the flavor. He ate it slowly as he, by some miracle (the place was practically a maze), made it to the door and outside. By the time he found his way back to his room, he’d eaten every bit of flesh he could before tossing out the core. He wished he’d waited until Mikasa and Armin were awake to eat it so that they could all share it but that would defeat Levi’s purpose in giving it to him and Mikasa would yell at him for disturbing the captain and sneaking away.

The exhaustion had finally caught up with Eren as he crawled back into bed with his sister and friend. He wondered briefly as he drifted off, if he was on Levi’s good side or bad side. He couldn’t exactly tell based on the man’s actions and unreadable expression but he took his punishment-less escape as a win, at least.

In no more than a few short minutes, Eren was asleep, the taste of apples still sweet on his lips.

***

Levi drug both of his hands over his face in exhaustion and looked at his watch. He sighed as he took in the ungodly hour it displayed and pulled a bed roll out from behind the sofa. No point in traveling the fifteen minute horseback ride to his house when he just had to be right back here in three hours anyway. It didn’t really bother him much at this point to sleep in his office. It was at least a once weekly occurrence these days, as he often found himself here well after hours, getting work done when he couldn’t sleep. Hange yelled at him regularly for overworking himself but Levi knew his limits just fine.

As he pressed the wrinkles out of the blankets his mind wandered back to the cadet that had interrupted his late night visit to the kitchen. If he ran out of work to do at night and still couldn’t sleep, he’d go down to the kitchen and start preparations for the morning meal, setting out the silverware and plates, preparing the scrambled eggs mixture and putting it in the ice box, slicing fruit and coating it with a bit of lemon juice so it wouldn’t brown before breakfast. He liked doing these things. It was mindless and methodical, almost meditative and the kitchen staff deserved the help. They toiled for hours in the sweltering hot kitchen with minuscule pay to make sure the Scouts were fed and the least Levi could do was lighten the load for them just a little bit.

Fortunately, when the kid had so loudly interrupted, Levi had nearly finished his preparations. A stack of plates had been abandoned on a random table somewhere, but the kitchen staff would probably not question it. That brat really was something else though. Levi remembered seeing him fight several times on his little visits to the training camp. Usually, he dreaded such visits, having much more important things to be doing than watching a bunch of kids play with swords, but Eren had caught his eye every time he’d observed the 104th.

The boy didn’t fight like his comrades and he certainly didn’t fight like he had been taught by his superior officers. He pulled tricks that Levi recognized straight away and was clearly very smart when it came to battle. It was clear that he had years worth of street smarts on his side and was able to outsmart his opponents more than bring them down with brute force. At first glance, the kid didn’t appear to be all that strong, but he didn’t need to be. He learned how to fight from the underground and the size of his opponent mattered very little. Levi had never seen him lose a fight before.

His lips curled up a bit in amusement as he put out the lamp and got under the blankets of his makeshift bed. The kid had guts, that was for sure. Even some of Levi’s fellow squad leaders weren’t brave enough to pester him so relentlessly with questions, let alone glare at him the way that kid did. He’d need to beat those little habits out of the cadet eventually, but he figured it would be a bit cruel to squelch out the kid’s rebellious spark on his first night here. At least the boy wasn’t afraid of asking questions like nearly every other cadet that came through here. It meant that he could get a job done right because he wasn’t to scared or prideful to ask for clarification. That was exactly what this place needed. Levi shut his eyes and hoped that tonight he’d actually get a few hours of sleep in before he had to be back on his feet.

Evidently, some god decided to have mercy on him and let him drift off into a fortunately dreamless sleep. Just before the darkness overtook him, Levi thought that he quite looked forward to seeing Eren fight in the coming days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooo Levi gave him an appleeeee


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is very long. I wanted to try and get through the whole first day in this chapter but it just wasn’t gonna happen without this one chapter being way over 5,000 words. So, I don’t really love where this left off but it’s alright.
> 
> Making a couple minor minor edits to the first two chapters (how Hanji’s name is spelt just cause I like it better this way and Levi looking forward to seeing Eren fight “tomorrow” because no one will be fighting on orientation day) as well.
> 
> Also, I’m having a few little formatting issues with italics. I’m working on fixing it but in the mean time, if any thoughts or words that sound like they should be emphasized don’t have italics, I apologize.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Eren pulled the covers up over his face with a groan. “Eren we need to go if we want a chance at breakfast. How long were you awake last night?”

Mikasa tugged violently at the blanket covering her brother and scowled down at him. “Late,” he grumbled, releasing the blanket and watching with satisfaction as she stumbled backwards from the sudden lack of pull back. She caught herself before falling, of course. She was the most graceful person he knew. Armin looked at them with a pinched look that seemed a bit desperate. He was hungry.

Eren finally relented, dragging himself out of the cot with another groan and scraped his hands across his face in an attempt to wake himself up. He needed at least five cups of coffee as soon as possible or he would not make it through the day. He noticed Mikasa’s sharp gaze fall to his still wrapped knee and immediately regretted leaving the safety of the blankets. He hadn’t thought far enough ahead to come up with an excuse as to why his knee was injured and he sure as hell did not want to tell his sister that he’d been wandering around the base last night and ran into Captain Levi of all fucking people. He’d never hear the end of it.

“Where’d you get that from,” he heard Armin say from across the room, curiously.

Fortunately, Eren was a good liar and without missing a beat replied, “Oh I tripped on my way to the restroom last night. Scraped it pretty bad but I wrapped it up and I’m sure it’s fine by now,” waving a dismissive hand.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not buying it. “I didn’t know you could tend to wounds so well, Eren,” she said.

“Gee thanks, Mika. I know perfectly well how to tend to a fucking scrape.”

Mikasa looked like she was going to come back at him with some kind of retort but Armin cut in before she got the chance. “Guys can we please just go to the mess tent? I’m starving and you two clearly need some coffee.”

That was enough to get them both to stand down, Mikasa giving Eren a suspicious look as she headed towards the door. Eren quickly tugged on some clothes, making a mental note to unwrap his knee before their orientation started, and followed them out the door.

The mess tent was apparently just as hard to navigate during the day as it was at night. It was packed to the brim with people and deafeningly loud. It was near impossible to walk through the room without bumping into someone or something and the noise was giving Eren a headache already. Mikasa led their little pack towards the food which was already laid out on trays for the soldiers to pick up. He could see the kitchen staff bustling around behind the counter and wondered how long it must take them to prepare a meal for this many people.

The breakfast was simple, consisting of scrambled eggs, some bread and butter, and a variety of different local fruits that could be bought for a lower price. The fruit was a luxury to Eren, even if they were on the cheaper end, and he marveled at the thought of having the sweet treats every day. Nothing on his plate was as good as last night’s apple, though.

He and Mikasa began scanning the tables for some empty seats. As Eren’s eyes passed over the room, he found them locking on a pair of storm grey ones that had already been trained on him. Captain Levi had been watching him from his perch at the officer’s table, which sat on a platform just a few steps higher than the rest. Eren presumed the man had probably been checking for him to ensure that Eren actually showed up and hadn’t slept through the meal. The boy flashed Levi a rather smug, “I told you I’d show up,” smile, but the man’s expression remained impassive and eventually they both flicked their eyes away from each other. Eren saw Captain Hanji lean over and say something to Levi with a mischievous look in their eye but Eren didn’t get the chance to see his reaction, as he got dragged away from his vantage point to join a table with a few of their friends from the 104th.

***

“I see the pretty one has caught your eye my dearest, cold hearted colleague,” Hanji said in Levi’s ear, successfully pulling him out of his thoughts and his eyes away from the recruit across the hall.

Levi pushed them away with a disgusted look saying, “Get the fuck off of me shitty glasses. No one’s caught my eye.”

Hanji gave him a skeptical look. “You were practically taking that kid’s clothes off with your eyes.”

“Jesus Christ, Hanji, no I wasn’t! Look, if your nosy ass has to know so bad, I ran into the kid wandering around the mess tent at some ungodly hour last night because someone didn’t tell them about curfew and told him that if he missed breakfast, he’d be mucking out the stables for weeks. Needed to make sure the kid showed up,” Levi said, picking bread crumbs off of his shirt cuffs.

“Ooooooo so you were with him last night were you,” Hanji said with an impressed whistle. 

Levi rolled his eyes and told them to shove off. He didn’t fuck around with anyone and he certainly didn’t fuck around with his subordinates. “Oh Levi you’re no fun. I think a cute little dime like that could be good for you.”

“And in that conclusion you are terribly mistaken. Now can I please finish my meal in peace?” That was enough to shut Hanji up again.

As Levi popped his remaining grapes into his mouth, he trained his eyes back on the boy who’d found a place at a table and was glowering at another cadet with a long face and two toned hair. He wondered briefly what the kid had said to piss Eren off so badly and then the thought was out of his head and his eyes left the boy and did not return for the rest of the meal.

***

Eren was bored out of his mind by the second hour of orientation. It was excruciating just being shown the campus and hearing rule after rule. He’d thought they’d be free of the multitude of rules that plagued them during training and although they were certainly less so here, the constraints were still annoying. They needed to be off base or in their rooms by midnight on all days except Saturday. Saturday nights were more lenient, days where the residential scouts were free to go out with friends without having to worry about whether or not they could get back into the base when they were done. The only exception to these rules were night time missions. Eren knew the curfew was no more than a security measure. It would be easier for the guards to keep track of any actual nefarious activity that might be occurring on or around the base if they didn’t have to pick apart the soldiers from the criminals. It was still annoying, though.

Their tour guide in the form of Captain Mike showed them every part of the base, including the places that were off limits to them at this time, much to Eren’s dismay. They were still on probation for quite some time before they’d be entrusted with access to everything. Deceit was a thing that the Scouts were all too familiar with and it took a lot of hard work to gain their trust. Eren was bound and determined to get it as quickly as he could.

Eren was thrilled when their party made its way to the six massive stable buildings. The Scout Regiment included six hundred specially bred horses who were prized for their speed, endurance, and poise under pressure. They were incredible fighting horses that cost an absolute fortune and Eren truly couldn’t believe that he was going to have one of his own now. He’d never even seen one up close before, other than in the glimpses he caught as a child watching the Scouts come and go from missions and during training when Levi would come bounding up to the campus on his giant, black steed. The horses were too expensive for the military to justify affording them to the training camps, so the Scouts resorted to giving their recruits proper horseback training during their first few weeks on the base. The cadet’s had been prepared, though. Their instructors had pounded as much knowledge on the ins and outs of caring for and riding the horses, as well as the ins and outs of mounted combat. Of course, that was nothing compared to hands on experience but it certainly helped. One week the training camp had even managed to get their hands on a handful of average horses from neighboring farms for the cadets to get some practice on.

Eren was horribly unprepared for the sheer size of the beasts, as he followed his comrades through the big stable doors. There were two infinite seeming rows of stable boxes on either side of them, each with a door that could be opened and closed, leading to massive paddocks outside. A good amount of the horses looked up curiously at the intrusion and wandered over to their gates in hopes of attention. They weren’t unmountably large, but they were certainly larger than any horse Eren had been near by at least half a foot. They were robust and strong looking and peered at him with intelligent eyes. These animals were some of the smartest in the entire world and it wasn’t hard to tell.

One of the steeds, a dappled grey gelding, stuck his face over the edge of the gate and ruffled his muzzle into Eren’s hair as he walked by. Clearly, this guy was not happy that so many people were just walking by him without offering a pet or a treat. Eren laughed a little and stopped moving, instead favoring the reprieve of petting the horse. He slid his hand down the animal’s nose and across his neck. The horse blew soft breaths over Eren’s face and the boy felt at ease. “Well you’re truly something else, aren’t you big guy? Thanks for the distraction, I was bored out of my mind.”

The gelding didn’t answer of course but gave him a keen look that Eren hoped meant that he’d understood. The cadet wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there before a voice startled him out of his calm. “Well Solomon here has truly taken a liking to you hasn’t he?”

Eren whirled around to find Dr. Zoë standing behind him, giving him an impish grin. “Oh I’m sorry, Captain, I didn’t realize I had fallen back from my party. I’ll be going right away!” Eren tried to skitter away as quickly as possible, not wanting to get himself into any more trouble but Hanji stuck out their hands and shook them in an attempt to get him to stay.

“Wait, wait you don’t have to run away! I didn’t mean to startle you. Personally I don’t care in the slightest if you’re here. You’ve learned all the important stuff by now anyway. And plus! You’re making friends with our sweet Solomon here which is no small feat. Isn’t that right, Solomon!” They approached the horse and it snorted at them indignantly, laying it’s ears back and looking ready to strike at them.

“What do you mean a feat? He just seemed like a well tempered military horse to me?” Eren asked, furrowing his brows at the gelding’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Oh, Solomon is one of our problem children. It happens, sometimes, where a horse just can’t be tamed. These fine creatures are bred to be mild tempered but there’s always the occasional anomaly. This precious boy was actually set to be euthanized in a few weeks since no one could get a handle on him. It’s truly one of the cruelest policies of this military,” their face pinched into an angry expression. “If an animal can’t be tamed they put it to death because a horse that cant work is just a waste of resources to them. They’re too dangerous to be sold out to the public, so the poor babies are just executed without a second chance.” Hanji looked sadly at the horse who had inched its way towards Eren and looked at the red head with an angry expression.

Eren was horrified. Solomon had been so gentle and kind to Eren and a creature like that didn’t deserve to be put to death. He turned back towards the horse and laid a hand on his nose. The horse took it’s eyes off of Hanji and flicked them back to Eren, perking it’s ears back up. “You know,” Hanji said with an almost evil grin on their face, “I bet I could pull a few strings. I know a certain asshole with a soft spot for the horses who could sufficiently scare their lead handler into keeping this one alive for you.” The only person Eren could think of that was scary enough to pull those types of strings was Levi and Eren almost laughed. Of course the man was soft for horses. “But you’d have to care for him around the clock unlike the others. Usually, responsibility for them is shared and you’ll only have to step foot in the stable when it’s your turn but it’s near impossible for someone Solomon doesn’t like to care for him. He could be yours, though, if you want.”

Eren didn’t even take a moment to consider before hurrying out an, “Of course! I’d love to care for him! They can’t just kill him!”

Hanji laughed loudly. “Consider him yours then! I’ll talk to Levi tonight and get your friend there off of death row. You’d better be getting back to your little party though. They’ll have reached the officer’s building by now and if our grumpy little friend sees you’re not with him you’ll mourn the day you were ever born.”

Eren furrowed his brows. “Our friend”. What a horrible inaccuracy that was. Levi had to hate him already, there was no doubt. He liked order, not trouble makers who banged around the mess tent at 2am or ditch their orientation to hang out with a horse. Hanji was right that he’d be furious if he ran into the cadets and Eren was not with them, though. Eren knew he’d been watching his subordinate since breakfast, making sure he wasn’t causing trouble and wasn’t late or skipping orientation. If Eren was caught, it would practically be a death sentenced for both him and the horse, whether Hanji was on his side or not.

“Thank you, Captain! I appreciate everything” he said with a quick salute as he all but ran out the door.

“Just call me Hanji! And you’re welcome!” They called after him with another laugh.

***

Eren fortunately made it back to the group before they entered the officer’s building, sliding up next to Mikasa and Armin and gulping down breaths. “Where the hell did you go?” Mikasa whispered to him, angrily.

“Making friends. Got distracted.”

She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back on Mike, who was explaining the do’s and don’t’s of the officer’s building. Except in the case of official business for which they are requested to be there or an emergency, the building was strictly off limits to cadets of their rank. Mike explained that it was because the officer’s had endless work to do and did not need any disruption but Eren knew that was only a half truth. This was the building that hid all of the Scout’s deepest secrets and they were by no means qualified to know them.

They would still be getting a tour of the building in case of emergency. It was important that they knew where to find their superiors should something go awry, so they would be getting a brief tour and then it was all locked doors from then on out. Eren tried very hard to act like he’d never seen the building before, and it really wasn’t that hard. Last night when he’d walked through those doors it was dark and he had to keep his eyes on Levi’s ever retreating form at all times or he would have definitely lost him. Now, as they stepped over the threshold, he could properly get a look at the place. It was beautiful. All elegantly carved wood and dark furniture that probably cost a fortune. Exotic plants filled almost every crevice and Eren wondered who was responsible for all of them. The place was pristine. Not quite as untouched-looking as Captain Levi’s office but it was easy for Eren to tell that he held a high standard for the whole building.

His eyes wandered up towards the ceiling at the same time as Mikasa and Armin and all three of them let out a little gasp. Intricate, hand painted murals covered the entire ceiling of the main room and it reminded Eren of those churches he’d seen in a book once. It was breathtaking. Eren couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to curl up on one of the plush, red couches to read on a summer day with all the windows open to let in a breeze. Surrounded by plans and paintings and the low hum of noise from the soldiers outside. He wished it could be a reality.

Mike explained that the building was very old. So old that the base had been built around it, rather than vise versa. It was one of the oldest buildings in the entire kingdom, he added, with no small amount of pride radiating off of him. Eren got the impression that the guy was a little bit of a closeted history buff. They wandered around the first floor, Mike showing them the kitchen and dining room reserved for private meals between officials and guests, the weapons room that hosted exotic and specialty weapons from across the world, and the gigantic library that had Eren practically drooling.

Eren had never been particularly good at school - that was Armin’s strongsuit - but Eren loved pleasure reading. In school he never had any control over what he learned and it frustrated him so he’d never really tried hard enough to more than skate by. But when it came to his free time reading, it was one of the few instances his brain felt at peace and although you wouldn’t guess it from looking at his grades, Eren spent hours and hours reading by himself or to Mikasa and Armin. It was hard to get your hands on any books these days, since nearly all of them had been banned when the king had been crowned. The man was particularly fond of censorship and keeping his people in the dark and it infuriated Eren to no end. But now here he was, standing in a room full of books that he wasn’t allowed to touch. It was like a slap in the face.

He was the last to leave the library, lingering for just a moment while his friends nervously waited up ahead for him. They probably thought he was going to disappear again. With a sigh and a final, forlorn look at the books he’d probably never get to touch without breaking into the building, he turned around and nearly ran smack into a short man with a blank face. Eren barely suppressed a groan. This was the last person he wanted to see right now. Why hadn’t he just kept walking to wherever he was going? Why did he have to stand right behind Eren for god only knows how long and watch him.

Levi’s hands were on his hips in an authoritative stance but his face didn’t show any signs of anger. Eren took that as a good sign. “How’s the knee?” Levi said, his voice not giving away how he was feeling either.

Eren gave a quick, panicked glance over the shorter man’s shoulder to his companions, who had long since lost the group. He watched their expressions shift from horror at how he’d been cornered to confusion and fury (on Mikasa’s part) at the Captain’s words. Eren scraped a weary hand across his face and mumbled a clearly annoyed “fine.”

Levi grunted in response and jerked his head towards the hall. The hall that the rest of the group had not gone down. “Walk with me.” It was not a request. It was an order. Mikasa was glaring daggers at the man as he started walking down the hall and even Armin’s hackles appeared to have risen a bit. Every single part of this spelled danger to them and Eren honestly was in agreement but Levi simply waved the other two off and said, “Oh stop it. He’ll come back to you in one piece for Christ’s sake. Go join the rest of your party.”

Eren gave them a shrug that clearly said, “I have no choice,” more than it said “everything will be fine.” His friends got the message and reluctantly turned to go find the others. Eren sighed and followed the other man down the hall, jogging a bit to catch up.

“What was it you needed me for, sir? I’m supposed to be at orientation,” Eren ventured, testing the waters.

Levi stopped walking a ways down the hall and said, “You know, something tells me you don’t care all that much about attending your orientation.”

Eren blanched. He’d been caught skipping. Fuck, what did this mean for his horse? Would Levi be so angry that he’d deny his and Hanji’s request? “Did you-“

“Yes, kid, I saw you running all the goddamn way up here from the stable. You weren’t exactly being inconspicuous, I literally saw it all from the comfort of my own desk chair.” The annoyance was barely there in his impassive voice, but it was there. “You’re really bound and determined to push my buttons aren’t you?”

Eren began to panic. Solomon’s life depended on him not pissing Levi off and here he was doing the exact opposite. “I’m sorry, sir. I just got distracted and didn’t notice everyone else left and then I bumped into Dr. Zoë and-“

“Look kid I don’t need anyone in my Scouts that get easily distracted. That’s how you get yourself and your comrades killed. Don’t make a fucking habit of it, even if it is to save the life of a horse on death row,” Levi scowled at him outright now.

“Wait Hanji already talked to you? Jesus Christ they’re fast...” Eren said, a little shocked that the red head had gotten there without him so much as seeing them.

Levi rolled his eyes at the mention of his colleague. “Annoying is more like it. Look get out of here before you miss any more of your fucking orientation. They’re upstairs. Oh and by the way the horse is yours as of tomorrow.”

Eren stares at him in disbelief. “Wait really?” he said, excitement and surprise blending together in his voice.

“Yes really? I mean technically he’s still military property, but he’s your responsibility. And you’d better take it seriously because if you don’t, he’ll be back on the kill list and I won’t be able to stop it again,” Levi said, seriousness creeping into his tone. Eren had to make this work.

“Thank you so much, Captain!” Eren was absolutely beaming at the thought of Solomon being his. Despite everything Eren had done to piss his superior off, Levi still did this for him and was letting him go without punishment a second time. Eren truly couldn’t believe it.

Levi waved him away and offered him a curt nod before ordering him to go back to his party. Eren was still glowing with excitement and relief when he found his comrades being shown whose offices were whose. They’d nearly reached Levi’s, Eren noticed. Armin and Mikasa both turned on him instantly.

“What the fuck was that, Eren Jaeger?” Armin whispered furiously to him.

Eren had to admit that he was rather surprised Armin had been the first one to berate him, but he just shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing,” was his curt response.

“Bullshit!” Armin replied.

Mikasa narrowed her eyes at him. “He knew about your knee. Why did Captain Levi Ackerman of all people know about your scraped knee?”

Eren squirmed under their piercing gazes and knew he wasn’t getting out of this one. They weren’t going to accept his lies when one of the most dangerous men in the world was involved. Eren sighed and put his hands up in defeat. “Look can this wait until we get to our dorm? I’ll tell you everything, just not here where people can conveniently ‘overhear’. I don’t need people spreading gossip.”

The other two begrudgingly nodded and they completed their orientation without any further interruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved the idea of them having strong bonds with their horses and the boys both having a soft spot for animals


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi this isn’t abandoned I just have a lot of shit going on right now. Enjoy and thank you if you’ve stuck around!

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He just saved the horse for you? And gave you an apple of all things?”

“Obviously I’m not fucking kidding, Armin!” Eren hissed back. He couldn’t really blame his friends for not believing him, but their insistent questioning and his lack of sleep were starting to get to him.

They’d been set free shortly after their tour of the officer’s building, just in time for lunch. They were told that the rest of the day they were free to do whatever they liked and rest from their journey before the real work started the following day.

Eren’s two companions had practically drug the brown haired boy back to their room after the meal. He’d tried to convince them they should spar or go for a run first but they refused to be distracted from his promise to enlighten them about his situation with Captain Levi.

Once they’d made it back to their room, Eren told his friend and sister everything that had happened over the past twenty four hours with the older man. They looked at him with nothing short of disbelief the entire time and Eren huffed in annoyance. “Look, maybe the guy is more laid back than everyone makes him out to be! And I’m sure he just spared the horse’s life for it’s sake, not mine. Dr. Zoë said he had a soft spot for the beasts,” he said, defensively putting his hands up.

Armin gave him a skeptical look and Mikasa stared at him darkly. There was concern behind her eyes as she said, “Look, Eren, I’ve heard a lot of things about Captain Levi from people I genuinely trust. He isn’t someone to be trifled with. He’s from the Underground and was a ruthless criminal until he was given an ultimatum by the law and joined the Scouts. He’s dangerous and I don’t trust him, even if humanity is convinced he’s a changed man. We both know how corrupt this kingdom is and I wouldn’t be surprised if the military kept him around as a weapon, even if he is still a danger to society.”

She sighed. “I don’t trust him, Eren. And for gods sake you shouldn’t either! Even if we were fortunate enough to never live in the Underground and get involved with it, we still all know first hand how brutal the Underground gangs can be. And people don’t change.”

Eren looked down at where his hands were nervously coiled together in his lap. He knew Mikasa was right. Levi may have been the most mysterious person on the planet but a large amount of his past was no secret. It certainly wasn’t by choice on Levi’s part, Eren was sure. He couldn’t even imagine how excruciating it must have been for the man, already a very private person, to see some of his biggest demons broadcast to the entire world, but, that’s what you get when you do something bad and get caught.

Levi’d had a troubled childhood. No one was exactly certain whether or not he ever knew his parents or by what means he ended up under the care of his uncle, but for the majority of his younger years, he was raised by his mother’s brother, Kenny Ackerman. Kenny was a notorious crime boss and was most notable for his unwavering cruelty to anyone that crossed him. It could easily be assumed that Levi’s childhood hadn’t been a pleasant one, under that man’s care.

Kenny raised Levi to be just as cold blooded as he was. He’d proven to be a natural in combat and conditioned into being more of an emotionless shell than a person. No one was exactly certain if this was true but, he was supposedly Kenny’s lead hit man. The number of innocent deaths on the man’s hands by the time he was arrested at 17 could have been in the hundreds.

The two Ackermans had lived in and run their illegal operations in the Underground, the near abandoned city below the kingdom of Trost. It had once been well populated, but as the kingdom began to develop into a thriving powerhouse, most of the government and military attention was kept above ground. It became riddled with crime and forced hundreds of residents upwards until there was hardly anything left but thugs. Not seeing the need, the government had ordered that patrols and upkeep be stopped in the Underground. To the people who were still forced to live there out of poverty, it was as if they weren’t even a part of Trost at all anymore.

As such, it was the perfect place for Kenny to do whatever he pleased and no one really bothered to keep him in check or go searching for him, much to the surrounding communities’ dismay. The government’s orders to stay out of Underground affairs didn’t stop everyone, though. King Smith’s own son was the one to put a halt to Levi’s involvement in Underground crime. 

Prince Erwin Smith had never particularly agreed with his father on most things and his blind eye toward Underground activities was top of the list. Erwin had been a part of the Scouts at the time, even though he was the last person on the planet who should be putting his life at risk in such a way. But, he wanted to help his citizens and figured that the Scouts would be a perfect way of doing so. He and an elite squad of trusted comrades would often patrol just outside the door to the underground to ensure the ground level citizens were safe. On one of these occasions, he happened across Levi, who had been doing some unknown, illegal act and for some reason, saw something in the shorter that was worth saving. The prince gave the younger a choice: either rot in the dungeons or join the Scouts and make something of himself. So join the Scouts and make something of himself he did.

Evidently Levi took to his work as a scout like a duck to water. He bypassed the usual five year training and by the time he’d been with the scouts for six years, had risen to the status of captain and was one of Prince Erwin’s closest friends and confidants. The entire kingdom had forgiven him for any crimes he’d committed and by now, fondly referred to him as “Humanity’s Strongest”. In just a few years, he’d gone from criminal to hero. People could deceive, though, and Mikasa’s wariness was not unwarranted.

Eren sighed in defeat. When he’d been very young, he’d looked up to Levi as his hero. He’d hang around the market place and bars just after the man came home from a mission, eavesdropping on the patrons who gossiped about all the great things he did while away. Eren would watch in awe as the man rode in from his journeys and get up at ungodly hours to watch him leave again. He’d never really cared about the man’s past. Part of him still wanted to believe the man had changed after joining the Scouts and was the hero he’d always hoped, but after spending so many years on the streets, he knew better than to just blindly trust someone like that. “Yeah, Kasa, you’re right. If anyone is a danger it’s him,” he said.

She nodded and replied, “Just lay low for a while, would you? Let some other newbie grab his attention. We just got here, the last thing we need is trouble.”

Armin and Eren both nodded in agreement. It was at that moment that there was an enthusiastic knock on their door. Armin rose from the bed and opened it, meeting the forms of Connie and Sasha.

Sasha waved emphatically while gnawing ruthlessly on a chunk of bread. Her redish-brown hair flowed over her pale face a bit messily. Her bald companion greeted Armin with a warm smile and said, “Hey guys! Some other Scouts came to our room and told us to tell everyone to gather their things and meet them outside. I think we’re getting moved to our permanent residencies!”

Connie and Sasha were two of the 104th that would be joining Eren, Mikasa, and Armin in staying at the base. Eren has to admit he was rather excited that they’d all still be close to one another, even after their training. The five of them became quick friends when they first arrived at the training camp and did nearly everything together. Eren liked the idea of having trusted friends close by at all times.

Armin smiled at them and nodded, saying that they’d be out to meet them shortly, and then shut the door. Once they’d gathered their things and replaced the room to how it was before they arrived, they met their two friends in the hall. They all wandered outside, listening to Sasha enthusiastically praise the base’s wonderful cooks. Outside, they joined a small collection of other recruits.

A handful of them Eren recognized as fellow trainees but had never gotten to know them. There were three, though, that he was familiar with. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie stood together, chatting idly with one another. They’d announced several days prior that they would be staying on base as well, but didn’t give a reason why other than that, “it just seemed logical.” Eren knew that all three of them came from wealthy, noble families and had more than enough means to buy several houses in town for themselves, so he truly didn’t know what would possess them to stay in some musty dorm provided by the military. He honestly wasn’t even sure why they’d joined the military at all considering their heritage. But, they insisted that it was just what they wanted to do and elaborated no further. Eren wondered if maybe they’d be getting better rooms since they were technically nobles.

Once the soldier- one of their escorts from the night prior - decided that everyone was there, he led the way to the collection of little buildings behind their prior lodgings. The houses were incredibly small, two story structures that could house up to three people per living space. Each building held two living spaces, one on the top floor and another on the bottom. Generally, the residents would be asked to room together in order to conserve space and offer more people homes, but for a monthly rent, they could choose to room alone. No one from the 104th took that offer.

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa shared one bottom floor apartment while Sasha and Connie took the top floor. Living spaces were abundant at the moment so Connie and Sasha weren’t forced to take on a third roommate, but were told not to be surprised if they’d have one later on. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie would be sharing a space if their own on the ground floor next door.

Once they were all provided with keys and instructions on cleaning and inspections, they were free to settle in. The place was bigger than Eren had expected, actually. It even had a small living room area with a wood fireplace and a sofa and chair. The beds were in a room of their own, lined up against the far wall with several feet of space between them and three short dressers adjacent to them. The beds were adorned with drab but heavy quilts and shared two little end tables with gas lamps on them. A little kitchen with a wash bowl, a few cabinets and drawers, and an ice box sat attached to the living room. They’d still have to use the communal toilets and bath house but none of them would complain. This was the best accommodation they’d had since they were children.

The three of them unpacked their things slowly, taking care to keep the area neat. By the orders of none other than Captain Levi, all the dorms would be inspected by the man himself every other week to ensure they were being well kept and clean. By the time they were done, Eren fell onto his small cot in a heap, closing his eyes.

His brain was begging for activity; to go for a run or explore the camp or spar with one of his friends. It was incredibly difficult for the boy to make his brain idle. His body, was a whole other story, though. He was fatigued from their journey and his long, near sleepless night. After he laid down, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to drag himself back up again. He was already gone to the world by the time he muttered a simple “nap” in the vague direction of Mikasa.

***

Levi’s scanned the disgustingly crowded mess hall with narrowed eyes. They caught briefly on the small blonde boy and his dark haired counterpart. Even when he’d observed the 104th during their training, he’d never seen the three brats apart. He couldn’t exactly see why that would stop now. So where was the ocean eyed boy then? Probably off causing more trouble. Levi’s lips turned down in disgust.

“What’s got your panties in a twist? Distraught that your beautiful boy is missing in action?” Hanji nudged him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He smacked them none too gently on the back of the head. “Shut the hell up four eyes. The kid didn’t show up and I’m tired of him causing trouble. I don’t need that in my squad and neither does anyone else. I’m trying to decide if I need to kick him out before he gets someone fucking killed in the real action.”

They gave him a cynical look, saying, “Are you sure you’re not just missing his pretty face? Worried about him maybe? He’s only been here a day and has missed a lot of meals.”

“For fucks sake, Hanji take something serious for once! He skips meals when nearly the entire base is in one place and distracted, he lurks around at night like a creep, he clearly doesn’t give a shit about his orientation or doing his job right. I know a threat when I see one. He could be dangerous.” A small part of Levi was positive that wasn’t true. Something about the unbridled fire behind the boy’s eyes showed a determination to save others, not destroy them. He hoped that this little inclination, was true. The larger, more logical part of Levi, didn’t trust the kid, though. Trusting people was dangerous and Jaeger’s actions were screaming “threat”.

Hanji hummed in thought before decidedly saying, “You should take him. Make him a part of your squad. Ya know, friends close, enemies closer and all that. Then you can keep better tabs on him, get him wrapped around your angry little finger until he either slips up about his evil plot or proves his innocence.”

“You’re fucking kidding right?” Levi deadpanned. “You want him with me, of all people? The person who has the most important military information in the world? I should be turning the kid and his friends out on their ears right now. They’re dangerous.”

Hanji rolled their eyes. “Whatever you say, bud.”

***

Later that night, Levi found himself wandering into the mess tent like he did nearly every night these days. He’d been doing paperwork for nearly six hours at this point and his head was pounding beyond belief. Getting some work done in the kitchen would probably do him some good.

He lit a few gas lamps and got to work, pulling plates out of cabinets and cutlery out of drawers. By the time he was cutting up the dozens of pieces of fruit that would be served in the morning, he noticed a torch light up towards the end of the hall. He continued on his task until none other than Eren Jaeger stumbled through the kitchen door.

“I figured I’d see you again tonight,” he said, not looking up from the cutting board.

Jaeger stopped dead in his tracks, standing at attention and immediately stammering out an apology. “I’m so sorry sir- I didn’t expect you to be here again- Fuck that’s not an excuse I’m sorry. I-“

“For fucks sake shut up,” Levi snapped in annoyance, finally bringing his eyes to the boy. “What the hell is your problem that you can’t just do what you’re told? Do you even realize how suspicious you look? Skipping meals when you know practically the whole base will be distracted, wandering around at night like a thug, breaking away from the orientation party to do god only knows what? I should kick you out of here right fucking now for suspicious activity alone! Not to mention insubordination.”

Levi had to admit, the kid looked terrified. Like he wished he could just bury himself under the ground that he had his eyes glued to. “I’m truly sorry sir. I fell asleep after lunch and my friends just let me sleep through dinner. I was exhausted from the journey and lack of sleep last night. I did not intend to cause any more trouble or suspicion.” He raised his eyes to stare fiercely at the captain. “I would never betray you or your trust. I’ve worked my whole life to get here and I’m not going to get kicked out on my second day here.”

“Well you better get your fucking act together then, because I’m done cutting you slack. You’ve had your trial period. I will not tolerate some fucking rebellious child wandering around my base like he owns the damn place,” Levi said and then pointed to the sink where a small stack of dirty dishes sat. “If you want a midnight snack, you can go into town and stock up on them yourself. This kitchen will have nothing to offer you if you’re not here on time. But since you’re so insistent on loitering around here in the middle of the night, you’re going to make yourself useful. Boil some water to wash those dishes in and get them done. Then you can scrub the floors until they’re sparkling and the tables too. They could use an extra clean. By then, I’m sure you’ll be plenty tired enough to sleep for an hour and be right on time for breakfast in the morning.”

The boy just stood there staring at him for a moment like he couldn’t believe Levi was actually punishing him and not handing him food and sending him to bed like a child. Eventually he snapped himself out of it and set the big kettle on to boil. In the meantime, he dipped a rag in the wash bucket of soap and water Levi had made earlier and set to washing the counters. Levi knew all the surfaces in the place were spotless already (he’d expect no less) but Eren didn’t need to know that. He might even make the kid scrub them twice.

They worked in silence for a long while, Eren clearly not wanting to push any more of Levi’s buttons. Eventually, though, his curiosity got the better of him. “If you don’t mind my asking, sir, why are you in here doing the kitchen staff’s work in the middle of the night?” he asked from his place on the floor, where he was scrubbing each tile ferociously. 

Levi didn’t reply for several minutes, but eventually he decided that it couldn’t hurt anything to just tell the kid. “I’m usually up late doing paperwork. Taking care of some kitchen work is a good way for me to relax before I go to sleep. I enjoy it and the staff deserves a bit of help. They’re good people who work very hard for us.”

“Oh,” Eren said, rather dumbly. “That’s very kind of you, Captain.”

They worked in silence for a while longer before Eren piped up again. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping more though? You’re one of the most important military officials in the kingdom, I’d think that you should be getting the most rest out of anyone here.”

“If only,” Levi laughed mirthlessly. “No, with great power comes piles and piles of paperwork. Some of it is Hanji’s, though. Their job is much more important than mine so I take the extra workload so they can focus on their patients. Paperwork or not, I don’t sleep that much anyway so I may as well be productive.”

“And they don’t let you have an assistant or something? Seems kind of stupid...”

Levi shook his head. “No definitely not. The things that go through my office are incredibly high security. That would be far too much of a risk. Besides, I get it done just fine by myself and it gives me something to do when I can’t sleep anyway.”

Eren set back to work with a simple “If you say so, Captain,” and neither of them spoke again until the kitchen was ready for the morning staff and scrubbed spotless.

By the time they were done, the cooks had just arrived. There were about seven of them and as they filed through the door they gave Levi fond smiles and wished him good morning. One of them, an older woman with laugh lines around her eyes and curly, white hair who appeared to be their manager, stood in front of Levi and crossed her arms. “Good morning, Pamela. How are you feeling today?”

The woman- Pamela- smiled at Levi and replied, “I’m feeling just fine. Your Hanji is truly a miracle worker, you know. Thank you for allowing me to see them.”

Levi nodded once and gave her a small, genuine smile. “Of course. Anything you and your family and your workers need, just let me know and I’ll ensure it’s taken care of.”

“You’re such a kind man; thank you, dear.” She looked around the kitchen, checking it’s state. The place was sparkling and over a hundred trays were set out with cutlery and fruit. One of the cooks pulled a massive bowl of egg mixture from the ice box that Levi had prepared just before they arrived. “I see you’ve been hard at work. Who’s your friend here?”

Levi’s smile immediately dropped into a scowl. “This is the little rat who evidently doesn’t understand the meaning of curfew and insists on testing my patience.”

As if he hadn’t heard a single word Levi said, Eren stepped forward, bowing to the shorter woman and said, “My name is Eren Jaeger, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet the face that runs such an incredible kitchen.” He smiled at her and she returned the gesture.

Eren could practically hear Levi grinding his teeth in frustration and basked in the satisfaction of it. “Well it’s lovely to meet you, young man. It appears you’ve done a fine job scrubbing this kitchen top to bottom; I appreciate it immensely, even if it may have been against your will,” Pamela said with a smirk in Levi’s direction.

“Don’t give the kid so much credit, I don’t need it going to his head,” Levi said.

Eren turned his smile in Levi’s direction this time, saying, “Actually I quite enjoyed putting in some work here tonight. Helped me put my mind at rest. I understand why you come here so often, Captain.”

Levi looked like he could strangle him where he stood for putting on such a show of charm and grace for the old woman, but it hadn’t been a lie. Scrubbing floors and countertops wasn’t exactly Eren’s idea of a great time in any case, but having a job to do when his mind wouldn’t slow down actually put him at ease. The process didn’t require the constant thought and strategizing that came with survey work and the simplicity was actually a welcome change.

“Well then, if you enjoyed it so much, why don’t we just keep you at it then? You didn’t think you were just going to get away with one night of work for your behavior did you? Whenever you aren’t training, you will be here. Any free time you would have will be spent here. Off days will be spent here. You will help Pamela with whatever she asks of you and show her the same respect you would show the king. If I hear that you disrespect her or any of her staff in any way, I will make you rue the day you were born. For one month. Understood?” Levi stared at him, eyebrows drawn together while Pamela looked at them in amusement.

Eren stood open mouthed at him like a fish for some time. A month of kitchen work during all his off time for staying up past curfew twice? He’d barely even been there 48 hours and he was being doled out the punishments of a trainee not a Scout. “Sir, I mean no disrespect but shouldn’t I be resting and preparing for missions and patrols during that time? I don’t want to put anyone at risk because I was unprepared.”

Levi turned on him immediately, face a stone cold mask, “You will not be leaving this base until I deem you fit for it and clearly you are too careless and distracted to focus on any kind of real Scout work. I don’t know what the hell the trainers were thinking letting you graduate and come here, let alone put you in the top five. No one on this base is above the rules, especially not you.”

Eren wanted to scream at the man. He’d worked his entire life for this. To be on this base. To help people. To fight alongside this infuriating little man in front of him. And finally, finally, he’d made it here and thought nothing stood in his way any longer, but that same man, the one he’d idolized since childhood, was the latest roadblock to his goal. Eren ground his teeth together for a moment, fire blazing in his eyes, and called upon every ounce of self control in his body to keep from punching Levi right then and there. Finally, he took a deep breath through his nose and replied, “If you want proof that I’m fit to fight alongside you, then so be it.” He turned to Pamela, “It was lovely to meet you ma’am. I will be here just after training to help you with dinner preparations,” and with that, he bowed to her again and walked out of the room, without even a look at his captain, much less the salute his position warranted.

***

Levi clenched and unclenched his fists what felt like a hundred times as he glared at the door the cadet had confidently strode out of. The kid was infuriating. Any other Scout and most of his friends for that matter would have been scared shitless at a single scowl from him but Eren had practically taken it as a challenge. So fucking help him Levi was never going to let him see a minute of free time again, let alone a mission or patrol.

After what felt like an hour of Levi angrily ranting in his head about the insolent boy he’d so unfortunately been tasked with, Pamela withdrew him from his thoughts. “You’ve got quite the handful with that one,” she said with a chuckle.

“If it wasn’t highly against my moral code as a Scout captain I would kill him,” he said, eyes lingering on the closed door.

She laughed again and shook her head. “I think a little spitfire like that will be good for you. You need a little excitement in your life. Too many people just take all the shit you give them.”

“It’s their job to take the shit I give them, I’m their superior officer,” Levi grumbled.

“Well I think you deserve a bit more fun and I think chasing that boy around will do you wonders,” she said with a wiggle of her white eyebrows.

He made a gagging noise at the implication. “Uck for gods sakes you and Hanji are insufferable. I could never in my life do anything like that with a subordinate, much less that one. I don’t need the distraction anyway. The mission is too important to think about things like romance.”

The older woman shook her head and frowned. “I know what you’re doing is important, but all this work is going to catch up to you soon. You’re going to kill yourself if you don’t take a break. And it’s not just me that’s worried about you either.”

“I know my limits and if anything I’m not working hard enough. I appreciate everyone’s concern but it’s really not needed, I assure you.”

Pamela shook her head again, accepting that her argument was futile and changed the subject. “You know I’ve been hearing quite a bit of gossip from my girls lately. Lots of drunk military police have been running their mouths about some things.”

This peaked Levi’s interest immediately and he said, “Bring any information you have to the meeting tonight. I can’t believe they’re so dumb that they even let the military police get involved, stupid drunks.” Levi turned to leave, hoping to get at least an hour of sleep in before he needed to be back in this god forsaken tent. “And let me know if that kid slacks off. I’ll have him strung up by his toes.”

She laughed haughtily and waved at him. “I’ll be sure to keep you updated, Captain!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *yells into the void* is anyone still there?
> 
> ahahahaha I’m the worst at updating. The pandemic had me real fucked up there for a while because I’m an essential worker so I basically lived at my job for two months. But, I finally quit and will be free to do whatever I want for a while! And that includes working on this. Anyway this is honestly just a little filler to get from point A to point B. Chapter 6 will be MUCH more exciting don’t worry.
> 
> Thank you so much if you’ve stuck around after all this time.

By the end of his first week of penance in the kitchen, Eren was exhausted. It was hard work and with the rigorous training the Scouts who weren’t on a mission or patrol had to do on top of that, he was more than ready for a break. He didn’t dislike the work he was doing, though. Pamela had been nothing but kind and the girls that worked for her had welcomed him graciously. The familiar kitchen work put him at ease and having so little down time did a great job of ensuring he went to sleep on time most nights.

Not every night, though. No matter how hard he’d worked that day, sometimes his mind was just racing faster than the exhaustion could catch up to. He thought about everything. About good things, about bad things - about his parents. When those thoughts managed to creep their way in, he wandered, careful to avoid the kitchen now. Since the comfort of food was clearly off limits now, he usually found himself carefully tip toeing into the training field or the stable. He’d train quietly until he was worn out or spend some time working on gaining the trust of the unruly steed he’d taken on.

Last night, he’d been training. He’d mostly done endurance - running laps around the training area, climbing whatever tall structure he could quietly scale, and finishing with enough push ups to leave him panting on the ground for several minutes. He’d made it back to his dorm with only about an hour and a half to spare before he had to be back in the kitchen. He rejoiced the fact that he only had a few more days of involuntary kitchen work left until he could hopefully, Levi willing, start patrols.

Armin and Mikasa had begun patrolling weeks ago, giving him looks of pity as they geared up. When they’d come home, Eren would beg them to tell him what happened while they were out. Nothing exciting had happened to them yet but they still told him all the little details of what they had to do each day. As new recruits, they were under the guidance of more seasoned scouts and their surveillance shifts were less intensive than they would be after a few months experience. They didn’t go far into the city, mostly being assigned to on-base surveillance. They would spend their shifts walking back and forth across the same section of wall, making sure there was no suspicious activity inside or outside of the base.

So far, there hadn’t been any activity of interest which didn’t surprise Eren. The kingdom’s criminals are not stupid. Levi was home from running the king’s military errands and that meant it was time for them to lay low until he was gone again. He was adamant about keeping the city clean and if anyone was going to be able to do it, it was him. Any criminal with a brain knew that they needed to keep track of where Captain Levi was and when or they would never be able to make it. Since he was in town for the time being, no one, including civilians would be caught dead near the base.

Eren’s last few days in the kitchen passed slowly. The anticipation of finally being able to go on patrol made the days feel painfully long. By the time his last evening of dinner preparation and clean up came around, he was practically buzzing with excitement. “You that eager to abandon us, Eren?” Pamela said with a fond smile.

“Of course not, I love working in the kitchen! I’m just dying to actually start doing what I came here for,” he replied as he scrubbed down a counter top.

“I’m sure you are. Has Levi said anything to you about your patrols since you got forced into my service?” She asked

Surprisingly, Eren had hardly seen the captain at all. He’d have thought, based on his track record during his first few days here, he would have managed to bump into the man. Or caught Levi keeping tabs on him. It honestly sort of annoyed Eren. He was working his ass of in training and the kitchens to prove himself to Captain Levi and it didn’t seem like the guy was paying any attention to him anymore. Eren hoped that he at least noticed how clean he made sure the kitchen and dining hall were by the time he left for the night. “Not really. The most I’ve really seen him was during training the other day when he yelled at me for running too slow.”

Pamela hummed in response from where she leaned against the sink. They were the last ones left in the kitchen for the night, Eren insisting upon staying late to triple clean the kitchen in hopes it would boost his chances of gaining Levi’s approval tomorrow. Pamela had hung around to chat and probably make sure he did eventually leave and get some rest.

“I might lose it if he doesn’t give me approval to start patrolling tomorrow,” Eren said honestly.

Pamela smiled again, grabbing the wash bucket from beside him and dumping the dirty water into the sink. “I have no doubt he’ll be fine with it. He’s not as spiteful as you think. All he wants is to make sure that everyone on his base is safe. He takes more responsibility for people than he should. The man would never admit to it, but he’ll do anything to take care of the people here. Even myself and my girls.”

“He has an awfully great way of showing it,” Eren grumbled. He’d been there for a month and hadn’t seen the captain do a nice thing for anyone once.

Her face clouded over, growing serious. “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, Eren. Levi is a good man and I love him like a son. If you two spent less time being so prideful and got to know one another, you’d find so much more value in each other. He’s not faultless, clearly, but he’s worth your time, I assure you.”

Later that night, as Eren lay awake in bed, he kept thinking about what Pamela said. He trusted her judgement more than most. Pamela would not stand up for a person she didn’t genuinely believe in. But there was still the voice (that sounded alarmingly like Mikasa sometimes) in the back of his head that screamed “threat!” whenever Levi crossed his mind.

***

Eren was at the office building door the second he had a moment’s freedom. He hoped desperately that the man would be in his office so he wouldn’t have to go track him down. He might not even be on the base at this point. He hoped even more that the disinterested looking scouts guarding the front door would let him in the building.

There were two of them, looking down at him in annoyance for interrupting their shift of doing absolutely nothing all day. “Do you have an appointment or emergency situation warranting your visit?”

Eren put on his most charming smile and said, “I don’t, but I am here on crucial business with Captain Levi. I can assure you, though, it’s all innocent. I know where his office is, he’s personally brought me up there before. I’m really sorry that I’m putting you through this hassle but,”

The taller one narrowed his eyes. “Sorry, kid but you’re gonna have to give me more than that. I’m not going to get this gig where I get to sit around all day taken away because some star struck newbie wants to visit the captain.”

Eren opened his mouth to start offering the man bribes when the massive front doors started to open. Conveniently enough, the exact short man that Eren was looking for was standing in the door way. Levi gave Eren an equally disdainful look as the guards had been and said, “Please stop harassing my guards.”

Eren shot up into a salute and another blinding smile. “I’m sorry, sir, I just wanted to speak with you now that my month in the kitchen is complete.”

Both guards quirked an eyebrow at that and Levi just stared at him for a few seconds. Then, with a simple, “Come with me,” he turned and made for the stairs.

Fortunately for Eren, he didn’t have to try so hard not to get lost in the maze of a building this time. He felt rather proud of himself by the time he made it up the stairs and to the door of the captain’s office, close on Levi’s heels. Once they were inside, both of them took a seat and Levi said, “I would have come to find you myself, you know. I haven’t forgotten about our agreement.”

“Well I had some free time and I figured it would be best to get it out of the way sooner rather than later,” Eren defended, trying exceptionally hard not to let annoyance creep into his tone.

“I don’t know what you expected; they wouldn’t have let you in. Bribes or not, they like their cushy job too much to let you ruin it for them,” Levi peered at his nails for a moment and then moved on. “Anyway, I’m willing to approve you for patrols, based on personal observation and discussions with Pamela over the past month. You work hard even if you’re a bit of an idiot sometimes, I’ll give you that.”

Eren wasn’t sure wether or not he felt grateful for the vote of confidence or offended at the insult, but he chose to stamp down both in favor of a mild, “Thank you, sir, you won’t regret it.”

“I’m not finished yet,” Levi said, looking at him seriously. “I’ve approved you for patrols but, you’ll only be patrolling with me for now. Just because you work hard, doesn’t mean I’m sold on your trustworthiness.”

Eren desperately wanted to argue with the captain that he was perfectly trustworthy and did not need a babysitter but stomped that feeling down quickly. It wasn’t worth going back to the kitchens. If Levi wanted him to prove himself more, he’d do it. “That sounds great, Captain. When do I start?” he asked with a smile.

“Tonight. I only have time for night shifts and considering your sleep schedule, that evidently does not change no matter how hard I work you, I figured you wouldn’t mind. We’ll be patrolling the wall for now, until I feel you’re prepared to move into the lower town, where I usually am. You’ll meet me here by 10pm; the guards will know to let you in.”

Eren furrowed his brow at the captains words. He’d made the comment on Eren’s sleep schedule sound an awful lot like he knew the boy still wandered around at night. Had he seen him? That probably had a lot to do with why Levi still wanted to keep tabs on him. Clearly, the man was paying much closer attention to him over the past month than he’d thought and Eren could punch himself in the throat.

At least he hadn’t reprimanded him for it. Eren wasn’t sure what he would do if he had to stay cooped up all night when he couldn’t sleep. The real question though, was why Levi let him continue his late night escapades. Maybe he was hoping Eren would slip up and reveal some piece of evidence that he was an enemy spy or something. If that was the case, the man was in for some disappointment. Regardless, Eren made a mental note to be more careful when he went out at night and stick to more inconspicuous areas.

“That’ll be perfect, Captain. I’ll see you at 10!” Eren said, and made for the door, wanting to be out from under Levi’s piercing gaze. He could already tell that he was in for a long night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I'm this bad at updating. Hopefully you guys are still here and love this chapter.

Eren was at the front door of the officer’s building by 9:45 on the dot. They were the same guards as before but fortunately, this time they gave him no trouble aside from insisting that one of them must escort him to Levi’s office. It annoyed him a bit that he was so distrusted but he figured it was a small price to pay. Once they’d reached the wooden door, Eren knocked and the guard took his leave. He heard a muffled “come in,” from the other side and turned the door handle with a deep breath.

He was nervous. This night could make or break his future with the scouts and he knew he needed to seriously prove himself if he ever hoped to gain the captain’s trust. Eren pushed the door open enough to take one step in and then stopped immediately at the sight in front of him. His captain was standing near the sofa, bare from the waist up, scout standard tights laying low on his hip. The rest of his gear was neatly laid out on the sofa, clearly organized in the order with which they are meant to be put on. Levi’s back was turned to Eren, as he was securing all the leather straps that went over his legs, one foot up on the edge of the sofa as he arched his back to reach. There wasn’t an inch of the man’s body that wasn’t toned with tight muscle. From this angle Eren could just see the ripple of abs across his torso. His skin was pale and reminded Eren of porcelain.

Levi finished fiddling with the buckles and began to turn in Eren’s direction, clearly noticing that the younger had not moved from the entrance way or even closed the door yet. As soon as the captain started moving Eren snapped out of whatever trance he was in just as quickly as he had snapped into it. He felt color rush into his face as he reeled at how he’d just openly ogled his captain. What the fuck was wrong with him? It wasn’t uncommon for he and his comrades to be completely naked around each other, considering the communal baths they shared both during training and on base. Never had he become that flustered over one of them before, and certainly not over just a man with his shirt off. Levi was exceptionally fit and beautiful, he’d admit, but that was no excuse for what he had done.

By the time Captain Levi had made the full turn, Eren had closed the door and directed his gaze pointedly at the carpet beneath him. “I apologize for not being ready yet. I got caught up in some official business,” Levi said. “You’re welcome to have a seat while I finish.”

Eren shook his head and waved off the apology. “I was early, don’t worry about it,” was all he said as he made his way to the armchair, still not meeting the captain’s eyes. At this angle, Levi’s back was to him once again, but Eren did not take the opportunity to watch him finish dressing. Instead, he studied his fingernails and mentally punched his brain for tempting him to do that in the first place. This was not the person to be having those thoughts about. Ever.

After an agonizing few minutes that felt more like a few hours, Levi turned back to Eren who finally looked up to find him dressed aside from his ascot which he was mindlessly tying around his collar. “We’ll have to run by the armory on the way out and grab our ODM. Let’s go, we're already late,” Levi said, already making for the door.

Eren rose and followed him out, shaking his head to rid himself of his intrusive thoughts. As they neared the armory, it became easier and easier to push the obtuse thoughts about his captain out of his brain. The nerves were back, this time mixed with excitement and pooling at the bottom of his stomach. It was uncomfortable but he tried his best to focus on the giddy feeling that came with the prospect of using ODM. There was nothing in the world quite like the feeling of flying. It made him feel powerful.

When they reached the armory, Eren scanned the walls for where his custom fitted Omni-Directional Maneuver gear hung. It was a unique set of military equipment, created many years ago by engineers seeking a way to set Trost’s military above any others. They achieved exactly that, finding a way to harness compressed gas power and shooting cables to allow navigation on multiple planes. It allowed the military of Trost to quite literally soar above their opponents in a way that had never been seen before. Other kingdoms tried to replicate the technology, but no one had gotten it quite right. Despite being rather easy to equip and use, the ODM gear was a complex system made with the intent of being unreplicable without having the exact formula. It required unique tools to build and take apart and was formed precisely so that other kingdoms could not steal and attempt reverse engineering it. The complexity of it all baffled Eren.

Although he may not have been able to build new ODM gear himself, Eren was quite versed in equipping it. His speed at the task was a small thing he took pride in. The quicker he was ready, the quicker he could save lives. It didn’t make sense to him why quickly gearing up wasn’t a part of their training. By the time Eren had finished and turned towards his captain, who was putting on his own ODM a few feet down the wall, Levi had just finished inserting his second gas tank and was restocking his blades. Eren, quite shocked at the fact that he’d finished first, walked towards him with another blade. He held it out to the shorter man who narrowed his eyes at him, scanning the boy up and down for potential errors. Clearly, he couldn’t believe Eren had beat him either.

“You should take better care putting all that shit on, you know. Being ready to go quickly is important but all that’s for nothing if you fucked something up and go plummeting to your death,” Levi said, taking the blade.

Eren huffed a bit. “I’m not careless, Captain. I spent a long time practicing this to get my equipping time down. The extra seconds I spend rechecking things I already know I did right could result in someone’s death.”

Levi straightened and looked at his subordinate again, surveying the straps and attachments. Eren tried not to fidget. “Being so vain as to believe yourself incapable of mistakes could result in someone’s death. Take more care with your gear,” he said and then sheathed his blade and turned away.

Eren knew it was not within his best interest to argue so he closed his mouth and followed Levi into the crisp night air. He swatted away a few mosquitos as they approached the watch-tower towards the left of the gates - their station for the evening. Levi signaled for Eren to scale the tower first. The captain clearly wanted to judge his technique and it brought the nervous knot back into the younger’s stomach. It would be an incredibly easy task, Eren knew, but the need to prove his worth even in the most basic ways, somehow made it seem so much more daunting.

He took a deep breath, bracing his body to be flung up into the air and then shot out his hooks as high as he could. Suddenly he was flying and all the nerves melted away, replaced with the giddy excitement that only came with the feeling of wind whipping across his skin. He smiled and let out a laugh, relishing in the sensation. He retracted his lines and then shot them out again, connecting with the top of the tower as his feet made contact with stone. He catapulted into the air again and felt disappointment as he reached the top and his small flight came to an end. He wished it had been longer.

Before Eren could even recover from the ascension and have a look around, Levi was gracefully planting himself next to him. The older man brushed off the dust from his pants and gave him a blank look. Eren squirmed a bit, unable to tell if there was approval hiding in the stare or not, but he let out a breath of relief as Levi said, “You’re astonishingly more graceful in the air than you are on the ground. I’ve never been able to watch you use ODM close up, but you do pretty well.”

“Thank you… I think,” Eren replied.

Their chat came to an abrupt stop as the kind looking woman Eren had taken note of when they’d just gotten onto the base approached them. Sasha stood slightly behind her, clearly too preoccupied with the chunk of bread in her hand to pay them much attention.

“Since when are you late to things Levi?” the woman said with a sweet but mischievous smile.

“Since I got strapped with too many responsibilities because I’m the only competent goddamn person on this base,” Levi quipped back. His face softened significantly though as he continued, “I really am sorry for our tardiness though, Petra. I’ll bring you some grapefruits tomorrow to make up for it.”

Petra laughed a sound Eren could only describe as sunshine and waved a hand of dismissal. “Oh stop, ten minutes isn’t going to kill me. You don’t need to make up for anything. I’ll still take your grapefruits though, they’re my favorite.”

Eren furrowed his brow and wracked his brain trying to recall if he even knew what a grapefruit was. He couldn’t even remember having heard of it. They must be very expensive and high class for him not to have heard of them. “What the hell is a grapefruit?” he asked, not being able to suppress his curiosity.

Levi looked at the younger as if he’d forgotten he was even there, Sasha started giggling quietly, and Petra gave him the most delighted smile he’d ever seen.

The woman took hold of his hands and said, “Oh! You must be Eren! Pardon my rudeness, I didn’t even say hello! I’m Captain Petra Ral, it’s such a pleasure to finally meet the hooligan I’ve heard so much about.”

Eren blinked at her in surprise at such a forward introduction but smiled, squeezing and then releasing her hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Captain. Hopefully you can take my reputation with a grain of salt; Captain Levi and I got off on the wrong foot and I’m hoping to redeem myself and do better with the rest of you.” Eren could practically hear Levi’s teeth grinding together in annoyance. “As much as I appreciate the introductions though, you never did answer my question.”

Petra clapped her hands together and signed wistfully at the thought of the grapefruit she seemed to love so much. “Ugh, it’s this wonderful fruit! It’s a bit like an orange but bigger - you’ve had oranges before right?”

Eren shifted uncomfortably, “Um, yes once when I was very young. I can barely remember it but I understand what you mean.”

Petra seemed unbothered by the class difference that was so blatantly obvious now and powered on. “Okay perfect, yes they’re like a massive orange. But the inside is pink and almost bitter? But also so sweet and delicious. They’re my favorite fruit and Levi’s are always the best.”

They sounded good, Eren thought, intrigued by the bitter quality of them. He’d never thought of bitterness as a redeeming quality and decided he’d quite like to try this fruit should he get the chance.

Eren noticed out of the corner of his eye that the soft look had returned to Levi’s face as he looked at the two of them. The cadet had never seen such a vulnerable expression on the man’s face before and suddenly he understood. It must be for Petra. He understood. The woman was beautiful, with a smile like wildflowers and a bright ferocity that could melt the ice off of even the coldest of hearts. He was happy that Levi had a person in his life like that, but for some unidentifiable reason, there was the slightest pain in his chest at the thought of it.

“Well, I’d better be getting my prodigé here to her dorm. Enjoy your shift, Levi! I’ll be looking forward to those grapefruits tomorrow,” Petra said with a wink as she and Sasha made their way to the edge of the watchtower and flung themselves off.

Levi shook his head, the hard expression settling back onto his features as he stepped to the other side of the tower. It was small, but comfortable, with visibility all the way around, so that one could keep lookout in all directions. The captain turned to face Eren, crossing his arms and leaning against the railing. “Well now you’ve met Petra. She’s the kindest person you’re ever going to meet, but she can come on a bit strong, so don’t let that freak you out. Anyway, lookout shifts are fairly simple. There are two guards to a tower, working 6 hour shifts, all day and night. One guard keeps watch over the base while the other watches over the city. Personally, I get bored watching one side the entire shift so I usually switch with my partner every couple of hours. If you don’t want to switch that’s perfectly fine, I’ll live.” 

Eren was rather surprised that his superior was giving him a choice in the matter at all but he just shook his head and said that he’d like to switch off.

Levi nodded and continued. “It’s pretty straight forward work. If you see any movement or anything that seems unusual, let your partner know, then you’ll both assess the situation to determine if it needs intervention. Things should be pretty boring right now since criminals and regular hooligans tend to lie low when my squad is in town but still, stay vigilant. You never know what bullshit they could have cooking up. Everything make sense?”

“Yes sir.”

“Great. Start on base side. It’s extra boring that direction so it’s a good easy start for you. We’ll switch in a few hours.”

Eren nodded and they turned their backs to one another, taking up their positions. Unsurprisingly, their shift was quiet. They only spoke briefly when Levi decided it was time to switch sides. Eren was incredibly fidgety. He hated just standing there, looking into the still night, but he did his best to stay focused. Levi evidently didn’t notice Eren quietly pacing and tapping on the wall behind him or he chose to ignore it which the younger was appreciative of. He was just begging for some kind of excitement, but it never came.

The sun was just beginning to illuminate the horizon when two unfamiliar, tired looking soldiers came to relieve them. Eren couldn’t help but breathe out a little sigh of relief. He could not wait to be free from Captain Levi’s supervision so that he could go run out all of his nerves. After exchanging a few words about how uneventful the night had been with their replacements, Levi signalled for Eren to make his descend down the tower wall and followed him close behind. When they reached the armory to put up their equipment, Levi said, “You did well tonight. Rathe fidgety though.”

Eren looked down and apologized. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m not particularly keen on surveillance work. I prefer a bit more action.”

“That’s understandable enough. You’ll get used to it.” Eren nodded and Levi continued, deftly undoing the straps around his legs. “Scouts on this shift typically get to sleep longer than the others as they almost work until breakfast. You can sleep through the first drills but you’ll be expected at the second, no excuses. There will be a meal saved for you in the kitchen when you wake up since you’ll be missing breakfast.”

“Understood.” Eren said as he hung up the rest of his gear, still a step ahead of his captain. The man gave him a look of disapproval at his pace but chose not to comment on it. Eren made a mental note to slow down for appearances next time.

“We’ll work the same shift tonight. I’ll be more punctual this time, but meet me in my office still. Now go get some sleep, you’ll need it,” his captain said, turning his head away in dismissal.

Eren did not go to sleep. He couldn’t even imagine trying to sleep after standing up in that tower for so many hours. Instead, he ran around the circumference of the training grounds until his lungs were burning so hard he could hardly breathe. Eren was more than certain that Levi had seen him, considering the training grounds were right across from the captain’s building but he didn’t care. He’d spent all night sucking up to the asshole and it was his off time. It didn’t matter whether or not Levi approved. The immunity from the raven haired man that he held at this moment gave him an immense sense of satisfaction as he bent down with his hands on his knees. Eventually, he caught his breath and started walking towards his dorm. Exhaustion was finally taking him, clouding the edges of his vision. He desperately hoped that he woke up for training as he fell into bed and let sleep take him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even I am in pain at how slow this shit is burning.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha..... it’s been a while. But I haven’t abandoned this fic yet! SNK came back and struck me with inspiration so updates should be coming pretty quickly for right now. Plus, I’m finally starting to get into the really good stuff that I’ve wanted to write about for so long. I hope you guys enjoy it!

For once, Eren was actually on time for something. He walked into training the day after his first shift with Levi with a thoroughly self satisfied grin on his face. He could  _ feel _ his captain’s eyes following him as he fell into place between Mikasa and Jean and locked eyes with him in a bit of a challenge. Levi most definitely had not expected him to show up and it felt incredible to see the twinge of annoyance pass over his face before he turned his attention away from Eren and began his instruction.

Mikasa elbowed him a second later, whispering, “What the hell was that?”

“He didn’t think I was going to show up on time. I did though and that’s one less reason for him to make my life a living hell.”

“I take it things didn’t go well last night then?” she asked, clearly ready to strike down Levi where he stood.

Eren shrugged as he turned to start hand to hand combat training with her. “Eh, it was fine. He didn’t really say or do anything in particular, other than lecture me about how fast I put on my ODM gear. I don’t know… it just felt-” she managed to punch him in the side, and he wheezed, trying to finish his sentence, “it just felt like he was judging me the whole time, even if he wasn’t looking at me”

Mikasa unsurprisingly dodged a jab from him and snatched his wrist, shifting her weight to haul him over her shoulder and slam him into the ground. “I’m sure he’s just looking for a good reason to kick you out. Watch yourself.”

She backed away and put a hand out to help him up, just as Levi walked by. “You know, Jaeger, if you spent more time focusing on fighting and less time talking, maybe you’d spend less time on the ground,” he said and then kept walking to go harass some other poor sap.

“She was talking too you know!” Eren was unable to resist shouting back at him.

Mikasa scraped a hand across her face in exasperation.

Levi stopped walking and turned to look Eren dead in the eyes as he said, “Yes, but she is significantly more skilled than you. She knows how to use chatting up the enemy to her advantage. You, however, are just stupid.”

Eren clenched his fists at his sides, ready to argue, before Mikasa swiftly kicked his feet out from under him, sending him face first into the dirt. She apologized profusely to the captain who did not reply.

Eren could feel Levi’s eyes on him the rest of training, scrutinizing every move he made. It made anger bubble up in his chest but he did his best to keep it under control. He had to get off this man’s shit list.

******

For the next two weeks, their pattern was the same. Eren would turn up to Levi’s office exactly 15 minutes prior to their look out shift, they would both silently stand through their excruciatingly boring shift, Eren would stay up for a few more hours until he could finally sleep, and then he would train before it all started again. It was  _ painfully  _ boring for Eren. Nothing exciting ever happened while Squad Levi was in the city and the young man would kill for an ounce of change.

Eren had noticed, however, that Levi was slowly starting to lay off him. He probably wouldn’t go so far as to say that the captain trusted him yet, but he no longer felt like he was being looked at like one of Hanji’s science experiments whenever Levi was in his general vicinity. Over the course of their long night shifts, they’d fallen into a sort of comfortable harmony.

On one night towards the end of their second week, Eren got so bold as to break their peaceful silence. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was a  _ good _ idea, but at this point, he was so bored that he didn’t care. “So is it true? All those things people say about why you joined the scouts?”

Hearing Eren utter words other than, “You want to switch sides?” was enough to startle even an impassive Levi, who turned to him and narrowed his eyes.

“What’s got you so talkative all of the sudden?” he asked.

Eren put his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry or anything. Just trying to pass the time.”

“As far as I know, people don’t usually open up a casual conversation with a question about a person’s deep dark past,” Levi said, lifting one eyebrow.

“Look, I know it’s none of my business, I was just curious. I mean, sure you’re a scary guy- no offense- but you don’t seem like the villain type. The way people talk about you makes it seem like you were evil incarnate before you were picked up by the Scouts, and somehow I just don’t believe that,” Eren explained.

Levi looked at him like he was lying but he wasn’t. Over the past few weeks, Eren started to notice little things about the man. How he smiled so kindly at Petra and her girls and would provide them with anything they asked for, no matter how much trouble he had to go to. He noticed him slip into the stable to sneak his horse little snacks like carrots or even apple slices sometimes. He took mental stock of every sheet of paperwork on the man’s desk that wasn’t his own, but instead some work that he’d tasked himself with so his comrades could work on something more important. He saw how the light was still on in his office hours after their shift as he did that paperwork.

They were small things. So tiny you wouldn’t even notice them if you weren’t paying close attention, but they were there and Eren was paying attention. And these little traits were not those of a cold blooded killer.

For once, Levi looked a bit lost for words, pausing to think about how he wanted to reply. “Some things are true. Some things are not,” he said before turning back towards the town.

Eren rolled his eyes and turned back around as well. “Very helpful, thank you,” he said sarcastically.

Levi was quiet for a moment and Eren figured that was the end of their tiny conversation, but the man spoke again. “Are you scared of me?”

The younger thought about it for a while. He certainly  _ should  _ be. This man could easily kick him out of the Scouts. He could make Eren disappear entirely if he really wanted to. But still, deep, deep down, Eren trusted him. “No I’m not. For some fucking reason.”

That pulled a huff of a laugh out of his Captain. They were quiet for the rest of the night after that.

  
  


*****

The next night, it was back to their usual, careful silence. Eren knew better than to push his luck with more conversation so he kept to himself. To his surprise, though, Levi started speaking.

“You like books, don’t you?”

Eren looked at him, perplexed, and then nodded his head slowly.

“Mm. I figured, with the way you were drooling over the library that day. Most of the books in there are banned, you know? I managed to salvage some of the last remaining copies. Pissed the king off with that one, but it’s pretty damn secure, so he let me keep it,” Levi explained, back still turned to him.

“Wait, the books are yours? I thought they were military property?”

“I mean technically, I suppose so. But I maintain it and collect them. Ironically, I’m not much for reading myself, but there’s so much information stashed away in them that would’ve totally been erased from human knowledge, it felt criminal to get rid of them.”

“You don’t even like to read but you collect books,” Eren deadpanned.

Levi shrugged. “I don’t really have the time or patience for them. I always just feel like I should be doing something else, and anyway I know most of the forbidden stuff already so I don’t really need to read the banned ones. Once myself and my colleagues are gone though, no one else will carry that knowledge, so I want to make sure it’s accessible to our successors. Let’s keep this between us though. Technically no one is supposed to know about them”

Eren was beyond shocked. Why was Levi being so talkative all of the sudden? Especially about his secret forbidden book collection? And why the  _ fuck _ would he tell Eren, who he probably doesn’t trust as far as he can throw him.

“You know,” Levi continued, “if you want to read instead of running around like a fucking maniac every time you get off look out, I’ll give you access to the library. Only to the books that are public knowledge, of course, but I figure that’s better than working yourself to the bone just to fall asleep. You’re going to kill yourself doing that, and maybe you’ll finally start performing better in training if your body isn’t fucking exhausted all the time.”

Eren openly gaped at the man. He had to be playing some sick joke on him right? Eren knew the man was secretly nice, but that was only to people that he liked and Eren was certainly not one of those people. Evidently the boy was silently reeling for too long because Levi turned around and scowled at him.

“What, are you constipated? Are you going to take my offer or not?” he said, in a much more characteristic tone.

“Yes! Yes, sir, that would be amazing,” he replied quickly.

Levi nodded and turned back around, gesturing for his inferior to do the same. “Good. Whenever I’m in my office on your off hours you can come by. I’ll let the guards know you’re authorized. You’ll have to be accompanied by someone at all times, like usual and you’ll only be allowed to read in my office for security reasons. As long as you’re not annoying and don’t interrupt my work, that should be fine, though.”

“Yes, Captain that sounds perfect. Thank you, sir,” Eren replied, trying hard to stifle his excitement.

Levi hummed in response and they settled back into a comfortable silence.

Eren considered going straight to Levi’s office after their shift that night so that he could finally get into that library, but that felt too greedy and uncool. So instead, he ran laps around the training grounds and pretended not to notice Levi watching him from his office widow.

It would be two days before Eren finally gave into the temptation of a good book and found himself in front of the usual guards posted outside the Officer’s Building. They’d gotten friendlier with each other over the past few weeks, graduating from cold stares to proper greetings and the occasional joke or smile. Eren was incredibly grateful that they had decided they did not hate him for whatever reason.

The taller of the two, Robert, accompanied him to Levi’s office today, explaining that the Captain wanted to escort him to the library himself. Then, in a more hushed voice, he said, “He might kick you out today, though. He looked pissed when he came back from his meeting.”

Eren chewed at the inside of his cheek nervously. It was their off day today, and he’d figured that would be the  _ better _ time to come by, since Levi probably had less to do. Robert’s warning was not promising though and Eren was not in the mood to face the wrath of his captain.

He considered coming back another day instead, but before he could tell Robert he’d changed his mind, they were already at his office and the guard had knocked on the door.

A muffled and very angry, “What the fuck do you want?” was the only response.

Eren winced as Robert pushed open the door for him, grinning and whispering, “good luck!” before turning and making his escape.

Well, there was no going back now, so Eren poked his head through the door and greeted the man at the desk who was scowling incredibly hard at the papers in front of him. If looks could kill, the paperwork would have been burned to ash by now.

At the sound of his voice though, Levi looked up and- was Eren just imagining it or did his face soften? Levi let out a little sigh and then gestured for him to come in.

Eren hesitated for a moment. “I can come back later, Sir. Now doesn’t seem like the best time…”

Levi waved a hand at him and said, “No, no, please come in. I need a break anyway or I’m going to throw all these goddamn papers out the window.”

Eren, deciding that he was not in any imminent danger of being yelled at, nodded and came inside. “Not a good day, I take it?”

Levi sighed again and put his head in his hands, elbows resting on the desk. “No. Definitely not.” He didn’t elaborate and Eren didn’t push him. “I take it you’re finally here to take up my offer? Took you long enough.”

“I didn’t want to seem greedy, Captain.”

That earned Eren a small chuckle from Levi which made his chest swell a little bit with pride. “Alright then, let’s get going,” Levi said as he led the way out the door and towards the library.

******

Levi couldn’t help the feeling of relief that washed over him when he saw Eren poke his head into his office. His more interesting form of annoyance showing up to drag him off to the library for a while was a welcome distraction from his current activities, which included: continuing to fume over a meeting with the king and looking over all this god forsaken paperwork. Eren provided the perfect excuse to step away and forget about all that bullshit, no matter how infuriating the kid might be.

Fortunately, Levi’s shouting and probably a fair warning from the guards outside was enough to put a lock on Eren’s temper without Levi having to do any real work. For once, he was being rather docile. Although, Levi had to admit, their relationship had become much less strained over the last few weeks, anyway.

At some point the captain couldn’t quite pinpoint, they must have come to some silent truce that they were no longer much of a threat to one another and that led to much less fighting between the two of them. They didn’t really talk much and Levi still didn’t fully trust him, but he’d suppose they considered each other comrades now.

They walked silently to the library but Levi could still feel excitement rolling off of Eren as they neared the library doors. He put the key into the lock and heard a faint  _ click _ as it unlocked, pushing the doors open and gesturing for Eren to step inside.

The younger shamelessly walked into the middle of the room and spun around in a circle to get a good look. Levi leaned against the massive door frame and crossed his arms in satisfaction. “Nice, isn’t it? The whole thing is custom built. Look around, pick something that seems interesting. There’s just about every type of book you could ever want in here.” Eren ran his hand along one of the leather arm chairs as Levi spoke. “Those ones in the locked cases over there are off limits. You can have a look at their titles, I suppose but that’s it.” The banned books were very well kept, in high end glass shelves. They were sealed with some of the kingdom’s finest locks and encased in shatterproof glass. Upon Levi’s insistence, the shelves were entirely fire-proof and airtight to prevent decay. It would take a miracle to destroy them without the key, which only Levi himself knew the location of. He still wasn’t entirely sure how he’d been able to swindle this kind of power out of the king, but on the other hand, he’d already read a lot of them anyway so it’s not as if it mattered.

Eren nodded obediently at his orders and walked over to the floor to ceiling shelves on the left side of the room. Levi watched him trail his fingertips over the spines of the engineering books and wrinkle his nose when he realized what the subject was. Levi couldn’t help the soft smile that came onto his face at the brown haired boy’s reaction. Eren made his way over to the history section, reading a few titles before turning towards his Captain and asking, “How long do I have to look?”

Levi sighed petulantly and replied, “As much as I would love to let you keep me away from my work for as long as possible, I can only afford about ten minutes. I’m sorry.”

“No that’s fine! Any amount of time is perfect.”

Eren turned back to the books and Levi continued to watch him from his comfortable position in the doorway. He thought about sitting down in one of the deliciously plush-looking armchairs, but he knew he’d never get up if he did. By the time Eren decided on what to read, Levi was fighting back a yawn. He shouldn’t have taken such a long break.

“Find something decent?” Levi asked as the emerald eyed boy walked toward him.

He nodded, looking down at the book. “It’s about the walls. Why they were built and stuff…”

Levi nodded, not really giving a shit what the book was about, as long as it kept the kid busy and quiet for once. He locked the library back up behind them and began the trek back to his office where the mountains of evil paperwork were waiting to steal his soul. Levi was just relishing in the silence when Eren unfortunately broke it.

“Sir, is everything alright? With the Corps and everything? It’s probably none of my business but you seemed so angry earlier.”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose as his mind flashed back to that morning’s meeting. Every meeting between the military officials and the kingdom’s royalty was bound to be a tense affair, no matter how close Levi was with the prince, but this one had approached violent. The king was set on sending Levi’s squad out on a reconnaissance mission to a small nation nearby. They were an unstable, growing nation in the process of restructuring a tyrannical government. To King Smith this just meant weak enough to conquer. His plan was to infiltrate them for information, and then send in the military to forcefully take over, casualties and destruction be damned. The whole thing made Levi sick to his stomach.

The Scouts were all on the same page: they refused to do it. Some of the higher military officials agreed. Some of them did not. And for once, Erwin did not have Levi’s back. As soon as Levi had started fighting it, Erwin was beating him back down, spewing all this bullshit about how they could get it done with no casualties, that their citizens would be better off in the long run, that this wasn’t worth fighting his father over. By the time they’d all been there for an hour, Hanji and Petra were holding Levi back from punching the blonde man as they screamed at each other. Eventually Levi just got up and left, going for a walk before returning to an office filled with paperwork and instructions to plan the spying mission.

Levi couldn’t remember ever fighting with Erwin like that before and the whole thing had sucked the life out of him. Eren giving him an excuse to escape his suffocating office was a welcome relief but now that the younger had brought it back up, annoyance clouded back onto his face. “Just had a shitty meeting with our shitty excuses for royalty and now I have to plan a  _ really _ shitty mission is all. The Corps are fine.”

“Oh,” Eren said, rather dumbly. “I’m sorry you had a shitty day? Emphasis on the ‘shitty’, evidently.”

Levi almost wanted to laugh. Since when did he start having casual conversations about his day with his cadets? He was losing his touch. He nodded in response, pushing open his office door and waving a hand over towards the sofa. “Make yourself comfortable. You can stay for as long as I’m here, just be quiet and don’t bother me.”

Eren nodded and sat stiffly at the furthest corner of the couch from Levi’s desk. The captain rolled his eyes. He told him to get comfortable and be quiet, not cower for god's sake. Maybe he did still have his touch.

He didn’t say anything about it for a long time, slumping back over his reconossainse plan. Eventually, though, Eren’s ramrod stiff back and jumpy demeanor started to grate on his nerves. The kid’s anxiety was rubbing off on him and making it near impossible to focus on what he was doing. “How on earth are you so loud without even talking?” Levi finally snapped.

“What?”

“God, you’re so stiff and nervous. Calm down, you’re going to give yourself a back ache sitting like that and I’m not going to bite your head off for no reason. Just put your feet up or something for fucks sake,” Levi scoffed.

Eren paused for a second and Levi watched as anger clouded the younger’s features. “You know, it would be a lot easier to relax if the person who’s been dead set on kicking me out of this place because he’s convinced I’m a fucking traitor wasn’t probably using this as an excuse to spy on me. It would be a lot easier to relax if I  _ did _ think you weren’t going to bite my head off for no reason but I still don’t really feel like that’s true. I already know you probably still don’t trust me and forgive me if I find an ex-criminal who could definitely wipe me off the face of the earth a little bit intimidating.”

He heaved out a few deep breaths and Levi narrowed his eyes at him. “For fucks sake, Eren I thought we were over this shit? of course I didn’t trust you when you first arrived! Everything you did was suspicious but I’ve spent enough time watching your every move for the past four months that I feel pretty confident in your trustworthiness. But apparently since I have to spell everything out for your dumbass: I don’t think you’re a spy; annoying, yes, but not a spy.” Eren did not look convinced but Levi didn’t really care. Let him think whatever he wanted. “Look, contrary to popular belief I’m not entirely an asshole. I do give a shit about how my squad is doing and running yourself to the brink of collapse every night is not my idea of you ‘doing well’. So for the love of god just let me do something nice for once and read here without acting like I’m luring you in to kill you.”

Eren’s seafoam eyes widened and Levi furrowed his brow in confusion. “What?”

“Your squad? Are you placing me on your squad?” Eren asked, catching his slip up.

_ God fucking damn it, Ackerman. _ “Sorry, I wasn’t meant to let that slip. Potentially, yes. I figure you’ve spent enough time working directly under me that you’d probably be a good candidate. It’ll depend on your performance on the next few missions. If you act well enough under the pressure, I’ll probably take you.”

  
  


Eren looked so fiercely excited that Levi was a bit scared he’d vibrate out of his skin. “You’re going to let us accompany a mission? Where’re we going?”

“Jesus Christ, calm down. The details haven’t been finalized, which is what I would be doing right now if you would just be quiet,” Levi said, rapidly approaching his breaking point.

“You talked to me first! Just tell me what it is! It’s not like I won’t find out eventually anyway.”

Levi was regretting every life choice that could have led him up to this moment but still conceded. “Alright but so help me, if you don’t shut up after this, you won’t be coming.

“It’s a reconnaissance mission to gain information on a small nation nearby. The civilians just recently overthrew their tyrannical royal family and are starting from the ground up. We’re going there to figure out the most effective way to take them over, unfortunately. The king sees them as an opportunity for military advancement, since they are clearly skilled fighters and at this point, it’s a race to see which kingdom can get to them first.”

As expected, Eren’s features grew dark and angry. “They just earned their freedom and we’re expected to take that away from them again? Are you fucking serious? That’s bullshit! All because the king wants to add more people to his already sufficient army?”

“Eren-” Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to interrupt but Eren wasn’t having it.

The younger rose to a standing position and started fully shouting at his superior. “No! If that’s what being on your squad or a part of the Scout Regiment means, then I don’t want any part of it! You’re really just going to let him do this? They’ve already lost so much, I’m sure and you’re just expected to go in and-”

“Eren! If you’d just let me speak for more than a second I could explain!” The younger closed his mouth, glaring at Levi still. “Thank you. Look, I tried to fight them. Hanji and Petra as well. Usually I have more influence because Prince Erwin generally takes my side but… this time he didn’t. I don’t know why. There was nothing I could do at that point. I’m just as furious as you are but Erwin must have some kind of plan. A good one. I trust his judgement, even if I don’t really like it right now.”

Eren scoffed. “He’s just a bastard royal like the rest of them. I’m sure his father’s just brainwashed him into submission and-”

At this point they were just playing a game of who could interrupt the other more quickly because Levi cut him off with a sharp, “No.” After a short pause to try and get his temper under control, the captain said, “Erwin is a good man. He’s nothing like his father.”

At that exact moment, there were three raps on the door and Levi shouted for them to enter, expecting it to be one of the guards. Instead, a tall, blonde man in the plainest royal attire he could probably find, slipped in the door, shutting it quietly behind him.  _ Speak of the fucking devil, _ Levi thought, glowering at the man.

“Oh I’m sorry, was I interrupting something?” the Prince asked, looking between them. Eren was still standing, with his hands balled into fists, but his face no longer matched the angry gesture. Instead, the brunette looked both horrified and shocked, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he finally got his bearings and saluted sharply. Erwin smiled softly and waved a hand at him. “Please, stand down. I hate the formalities, I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

Eren did as he was told but still twitched nervously where he stood in front of the sofa. He was probably praying to every god out there that Erwin hadn’t been listening in on their argument. So was Levi, to be honest. He was tired and the last thing he wanted to do was have to defend this kids honor to his best friend that Eren had just outright insulted.

Despite the hint of satisfaction Levi got from watching the kid squirm, the captain was merciful on him, grabbing his attention and saying, “I’m going to need to speak with the prince privately. You can go, Jaeger.”

Eren let out a visible breath of relief but turned to Levi with that fire still blazing in his eyes. “If you want me on this mission, I’ll go. But if it turns violent in any way, I won’t support you. I don’t care if it gets me kicked out.”

Levi nodded, flicking his gaze to Erwin as he said, “I don’t intend for it to turn violent. If it does, we’ll be standing down. I’m not in the business of hurting people who don’t deserve it. Just trust me.”

Eren nodded, picking up the book he’d left abandoned on the couch. “Should I…”

“Just leave it. I’ll hold onto it and you can pick it back up later,” Eren nodded and passed the book to him. As he turned to leave, Levi stopped him after a thought flicked across his mind. “Eren,” he grabbed two oranges from the bowl of fruit on the edge of his desk and tossed them to the recruit. It wasn’t the most filling meal on the planet but it would have to do. “Take these. I know you haven’t eaten, since you’ve been here, annoying the ever living hell out of me all day. And go to dinner for fucks sake.”

Eren stared at the fruit for a minute, looking like he was about to argue, but then he remembered Erwin was still staring at him, so he decided against making a display. Instead, he said a brief thank you and took his leave, practically sprinting to the door.

“So that’s the ‘annoying piece of shit’ I’ve heard so much about? What’s he doing spending all day in your office?” The broad man said with a slight smile.

“He unfortunately needs constant supervision so he doesn’t fucking kill himself running laps all day and night. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What the fuck do you want?” Levi replied, still glaring at the man. Sure, Levi did trust the prince and was sure he had some sort of plan but it didn’t make him any less pissed off that he’d argued with him this morning and ordered him to stand down like he was his subject, rather than his friend.

Erwin moved to sit down on the now slightly disheveled sofa. “I mean, I think it matters that you’re taking an interest in something that isn’t work. You must be pretty fond of him if you’re letting him into the library so that he can read books in your office all day and are giving him your expensive fruits. It’s good to see that you’ve taken a liking to someone. Although you were yelling an awful lot at each other when I came up…”

“Shut up, Erwin, it’s nothing like that. Fuck, you’ve been hanging around Hanji and Petra too much. It’s nothing I wouldn’t do for anyone else on my squad, everyone else just requires much less attention,” Levi wanted desperately to stop talking about this. There was nothing to analyze. There was nothing going on between them. Why didn’t anyone just believe him?

“I really don’t believe you, but if you don’t want to talk about it I’m not going to pressure you. Anyway, I came here to apologize, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I honestly just didn’t have any other way of getting you to stand down,” Erwin said, looking genuinely remorseful.

Levi crossed his arms in annoyance and replied, “Yeah well, maybe explain to me what the absolute fuck you’re thinking, making me do this and I’ll consider forgiving you for being an asshole.”

Erwin nodded and said, “Look, I think we’re actually Maria’s only chance at freedom. Every large kingdom in the area is looking at them right now and in the long run, I’ll be able to set them free again and provide them with protection. If the northern kingdoms gain control of them, there’s no hope of them ever being free. If you explain this to them, get them on the side of our rebellion, I think we can make it work. My father is already so pleased at my enthusiasm over this mission that he’s promised me full control of them. He’s starting to get lazy and just wants the satisfaction of getting to them first and keeping a bunch of rebels under control. Between the two of us, we can offer them a safe, happy life while they continue their plans for a restructured government. When I’m king, I’ll set them officially free and offer them our protection as allies. It makes sense, Levi. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to have a bunch of people who have already overthrown a government once on our side?”

Levi’s harsh expression had softened as Erwin spoke, finally understanding his motives. It did make sense. Perfect sense. But if Erwin’s plan was to have them disclose information on the rebellion to Maria, then that would mean… “It’s going to have to be a Titan-only mission.” The prince said, using the name of their band of rebels, planning to overthrow the king. “No recruits. We can’t have them this close to rebel business. I think you, Petra, and a handful of others will do just fine,” Erwin finished, somehow reading Levi’s mind.

“Hmm… it’s a good plan, I will give you that. I understand why you did what you did and I think we’d probably be successful, but I would still like to take a few cadets. I think there are a few that would be good Titan candidates,” Levi argued

Erwin looked a little horrified. “Are you out of your mind, Levi?”

“Look, I don’t know that this is one that we can pull off. If a bunch of high ranking military officials walked up to you and said, ‘Hey, we know you just committed treason against your own king, but we’re trying to do the same. So if you wouldn’t mind just coming quietly, we’ll make sure you have nice happy lives,’ would  _ you  _ believe them? I’d start fucking swinging, personally and I don’t want any blood on my hands this time. Jaeger is a charmer-”

“Clearly.” Erwin rolled his eyes.

Levi ignored him. “-and I think he’ll be endearing enough to convince them. I’ve been watching his every move for months. I always kept an eye on him and his friends during their training, too. One of them is a fucking genius. Not much of a fighter but brilliant as hell. The other one was top of the 104th Corps. They need training and supervision but I think they’d be great assets.”

“You’re seriously telling me,” Erwin stared at the shorter man in disbelief, “that you intend to tell a bunch of new recruits that you’ve only had under you for a few months, about the fucking rebellion you’re leading against my father and sister? Do you have any idea how fucking dangerous that is? You know nothing about these kids! They’re literally here to work for the crown!”

“Well I already know exactly how Jaeger feels about your father and it is not very nice. Besides, I can explain the situation without directly telling them about the Titans. I can explain that to the Marians privately. But, I can assure you that these kids would be all for your plan to protect them and free them later and they don’t have to know about the Titans to hear about that,” Levi knew he was right. Even if they’d be walking a fine line between exposing their treasonous tendencies and keeping the Titan’s under wraps, it was the perfect opportunity to test whether or not these recruits would be suitable for the rebellion.

Erwin scraped a hand across his face. “This boy has made you fucking lose it…”

“Jaeger has nothing to do with it. We need to start recruiting people faster, Erwin, or it’s never going to happen. More people die every day at your father’s hand, and there’s no way we’re going to be able to take him down with our current numbers,” Levi argued.

Finally, Erwin sighed in defeat and said, “Fine. Take them, but so help me god Levi if this endangers the rebellion in anyway-”

“It won’t.”

“Good…” Erwin paused for a moment, seeming to consider whether or not to say something else, but eventually deciding in favor of it. “Look, I’m happy for you, finally doing something for yourself. Deny it all you want but… you look happy around him. He seems good for you and I think you should let yourself have that.”

Levi sighed. What was  _ with _ everyone? “Erwin there’s nothing going on with Eren, for fucks sake. Just drop it.”

“Whatever you say…”

Erwin stayed to chat for another half hour before taking his leave. When the door clicked shut behind the taller man, Levi put his head in his hands and rubbed at his eyes.  _ God _ why was everyone reading so far into this shit with Eren? Was it so scandalous to give a shit about your comrades? Levi didn’t have the time or emotional capacity for any sort of unprofessional relations and it would be  _ unbelievably _ inappropriate for him to fraternize with an inferior. No matter how happy a person made him, he could not let it interfere with his work and it would be equally unfair to his significant other to make them suffer in an inferior position to him. It just wouldn’t work.

  
Levi’s train of thought continued like this for a long while as he dove back into his paperwork. By the time he had spiraled into wondering if he  _ was _ treating Eren any different because he had taken a liking to him, Levi was ready to tear his own hair out. “Fucking shit,” he said, forcefully pushing his chair out and grabbing his coat, before storming out of the building.

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t worry everyone, some good ol’ one on one time with everyone’s favorite grump is coming in the next one.


End file.
